The United States was in the grip of yet another natural disaster after an earthquake. It was of 8.2 magnitude and struck the southeast coast of Alaska at a depth of more than 6 miles. Its location was around 175 miles southeast of Kodiak Island, and huge tsunami waves were reported. The quake is believed to be one of the strongest in the history of the United States.
Sky News reports that a tsunami warning was issued for parts of Alaska and the west coast of Canada with a tsunami watch for the entire west coast of America, including California, Oregon, parts of Washington state and Hawaii.
People were cautioned
The Anchorage Office of Emergency Management issued warnings to not only people of Alaska but also of British Columbia in Canada. The advice was that those living in coastal areas must shift to higher locations to escape the wrath of the probable tsunami.
According to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, the earthquake might have caused the disturbance and its range of destruction could extend to regions far away from the epicenter. The general advice of the center was for people to move inland from coastal areas. Incidentally, those who lived hundreds of miles away in the city of Anchorage have also felt the quake.
The National Weather Service has, on its part, resorted to messaging and cautioned people about the dangers of the situation. Here also the advice is to either go to higher grounds or go inland.
Earthquakes are rare in the US and only four high magnitude quakes have been recorded till now. All of those were in Alaska and led to tsunami. The worst was a 9.2-quake in March 1964 which killed 139 people destroyed buildings.
The threat recedes
Telegraph UK adds that the threats of a tsunami have receded. National Tsunami Center has cancelled a series of tsunami alerts for Canada, coastal areas of the United States and Hawaii. However, the alert will continue to be in force for parts of Alaska, from Kodiak Island to Prince William Sound.
Officials in Kodiak Island have advised locals not to leave the evacuation centers till clearance is given. There are a number of shelters located above 100ft and people should try to move to higher ground for their own safety.
Earthquake is a natural disaster like hurricanes and leads to the loss of properties and, at times, lives. Since this has happened in Alaska, there are fears that it could have an indirect effect on the ice shelves and glaciers in the Arctic that might break away and result in environmental problems.