Strong Earthquake Hits Anchorage, Alaska; Photos Show Severe Damage to Roads

Video: Earthquake does damage to Anchorage high school

A 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck just north of Anchorage, Alaska, on Nov. 30.

The quake hit at 5:29 p.m., UTC, at a depth of around 25 miles, the United States Geological Survey’s (USGS) Alaska Earthquake Center said.

Photos posted online show buckled roads and damaged buildings. It’s not clear if there were any injuries or deaths.

A 6.6 magnitude earthquake struck north of Anchorage, Alaska on Nov. 30, 2018. USGS

Video footage (as seen above) shows severe damage done to a school. High School student Alyson Petrie captured the video in the midst of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake inside an art classroom at Colony High School.

A series of aftershocks, with some as strong as 5.7 magnitude, hit the area after the initial quake, the USGS posted.

The quake hit just 8 miles north of the city, which has a population of nearly 300,000 people.

The quake also hit 2.4 miles northwest of Port MacKenzie, 12.2 miles east of Eagle River, and about 500 miles east of Whitehorse, according to the USGS.

“We will be tweeting regularly about the earthquake near Anchorage as information comes in. The automatic location puts it at M6.6, about 10 miles NNW of Anchorage. Again, that is a preliminary, automatic location,” the Alaska Earthquake Center stated. “The websites will take a bit to catch up, but for now we’re going with a magnitude of 7.0 and a location about 10 miles north of Anchorage. The website is overwhelmed with traffic currently, so watch here for updates.”

The National Tsunami Warning Center sent out a tsunami warning for coastal zones of southern Alaska after the quake hit, according to The Associated Press. The warning encompasses Cook Inlet and the Kenai Peninsula.

Tsunami waves are expected, the center stated, as reported by AP.

Police told people Alaska’s Kodiak island community to head to higher ground amid the tsunami threat from the earthquake. Kodiak is an island about 200 miles south of Anchorage.

According to an alert posted by one Twitter user, and echoed by others, there was a tsunami alert on the coast. The alert told people to move to high ground or inland.

Many Feel the Quake

A number of people in Anchorage said they felt the quake.

“Getting ready to fly home here in Alaska and just felt an earthquake with at least one after shock,” wrote U.S. Marine Scott Stalker on Twitter. “Everyone seems to be doing well as we wait outside.”

“Aftershock happening right now. Here’s my laptop on the floor - next - it’s really strong I’m scared still going over 30 seconds again the first one was a minute,” another user said. “Smaller aftershocks now. I’ve yet to be able to leave my bedroom safely.”

Sean Adams, an Anchorage resident, said he was “still a bit anxious from it, but we just had a very large Earthquake hit my city...I think they said a 7.2. Me and my roommates are fine, but my gut is still full of butterflies...”

“That was terrifying!!” added journalist Alexis Fernandez, broadcasting a vide of her apartment. Several items appeared to be damaged or thrown off, including a tilted painting and a hanging head that had fallen to the floor.

“The biggest earthquake I’ve felt my entire life just now. Cracked ceilings. Broken chandeliers. Holy [expletive],” added another user.

“Just got notified on my phone of #tsunami danger on the coast from the #Alaska #earthquake. The aftershocks from this are as big as any earthquake I’ve ever felt before!” said another user.

“We just experienced the [worst] earthquake in Alaska I’ve ever felt. Everything flew off my shelved and they’re evacuating the schools,” said another.

“I’ve been in Alaska for a long time & that might be the biggest earthquake I’ve ever felt,” wrote Margot Wiegele.

“Rocked with huge earthquake in Alaska. Never felt one that bad. Huge 2 story school was rocked. Wish i had video but i was already calling my wife. Computer, monitor, mirrors everything fell to the floor at home. Tsunami warning issued. Aftershocks happening,” said another user.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.