NOAA(NEW YORK) — A massive earthquake, — registering 7.0 magnitude according to the U.S. Geological Survey — rocked Anchorage, Alaska Friday, sending debris crashing to the ground, damaging buildings and causing “major infrastructure damage,” officials said.
The quake happened about 7.5 miles north of the city, the USGS reported, and officials said residents there should brace for aftershocks.
The NWS and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration issued a tsunami warning for parts of Alaska, but no surrounding states have received similar warnings.
It was not immediately clear if there were injuries, but Anchorage police urged residents to be vigilant.
“There is major infrastructure damage across Anchorage. Many homes and buildings are damaged,” the department said in a bulletin. “Many roads and bridges are closed. Stay off the roads if you don’t need to drive. Seek a safe shelter. Check on your surroundings and loved ones.”
And the local power company, Municipal Light & Power, tweeted that they are “currently assessing any damages or power outages as a result of the earthquake.”
The state’s former governor, Sarah Palin, tweeted that her family’s home sustained damage.
She posted a message that started with the prayer hands emoji, and went on to write “Our family is intact – house is not… I imagine that’s the case for many, many others. So thankful to be safe; praying for our state following the earthquake.”
?? for Alaska. Our family is intact – house is not… I imagine that’s the case for many, many others. So thankful to be safe; praying for our state following the earthquake.
— Sarah Palin (@SarahPalinUSA) November 30, 2018
Melody Blankenship, the business director at ABC affiliate KYUR, said that there was “this sudden shaking then all of a sudden this really loud roaring noise.”
“It got to the point where we got into the doorway and it just didn’t stop,” Blankenship said.
She said that they felt an aftershock “not even five minutes later.” She said that Friday’s earthquake was “the strongest” she’s felt in the past 35 years that she has lived in Alaska.
Melody Blankenship, the business director at ABC affiliate KYUR, said that there was “this sudden shaking then all of a sudden this really loud roaring noise.”
“It got to the point where we got into the doorway and it just didn’t stop,” Blankenship said.
She said that they felt an aftershock “not even five minutes later.” She said that Friday’s earthquake was “the strongest” she’s felt in the past 35 years that she has lived in Alaska.
One Twitter user posted a video from a local grocery store showing how shelved food was thrown onto the floor.
Pipes broken pic.twitter.com/a60pf39JyH
— Chase (@Chase_AK) November 30, 2018
A student in Alaska posted a video on Twitter showing the lights in her art classroom shaking, and cupboards appear to have been opened due to the shocks.
“Earthquake just happened right now i ’m actually shaking,” the student, Alyson Petrie, wrote.
Earthquake just happened right now i ’m actually shaking pic.twitter.com/PoZGOlJGWS
— Alyson Petrie (@AlysonPetrie7) November 30, 2018
The Anchorage School District posted a message to parents on their Twitter account.
“We hope that everyone is safe after the earthquake. We are assessing building safety and damages now. We will update the community as new information comes in. In the meantime, parents and guardians, when you feel it is safe to do so, please pick your children up from school,” the school district wrote.
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