Strict building codes see city through quake

The magnitude 7.0 earthquake that rattled Alaska’s largest city cracked roads and collapsed highway ramps, but there were no reports of widespread catastrophic damage or collapsed buildings.

There’s a good reason for that. A devastating 1964 Alaska earthquake – the most powerful on record in the United States – led to stricter building codes that helped structures withstand the shifting earth on Saturday.

‘‘Congratulations to the people of Alaska for being really prepared for this earthquake,’’ US Geological Survey Geophysicist Paul Caruso said Saturday. ‘‘Because a magnitude 7.0 in a city like that, you know, it could have been significantly worse.’’

Governor Bill Walker said sometimes people, including himself, grouse about stringent building codes. But he’s ‘‘really glad’’ they were in place as he only had minor water damage at his home.

‘‘Building codes mean something,’’ he said Friday.

The quake was centred about 12km north of Anchorage, which has a population of about 300,000. People ran from their offices or took cover under desks. A 5.7 aftershock arrived within minutes, followed by a series of smaller quakes.

The two big back-to-back quakes knocked items off shelves, disrupted power, broke store windows and briefly triggered a tsunami warning. –AP

AP People walk along Vine Road which was damaged in an earthquake in Wasilla, Alaska.