QUAKED ALASKA
Two huge tremors hit
Back-to-back earthquakes rocked Alaska Friday, damaging buildings, knocking out power and triggering tsunami warnings — though none materialized — as residents ran into the streets.
The first and more powerful — measuring a 7.0 magnitude — was centered about seven miles north of Anchorage, the state’s largest city, the US Geological Survey said.
The epicenter was just north of Joint Base ElmendorfRichardson, the Anchorage Daily News reported.
People ran from their offices or took cover under desks and beneath doorjambs.
There were no immediate reports of deaths or serious injuries, although more than 10,000 people were without power as a second quake, measuring 5.8, struck later.
Former Alaska governor and vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin tweeted that her 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,” she wrote of the quake that struck about 8 a.m. Alaska time.
Officials in the island community of Kodiak, about 250 miles south of Anchorage, said residents headed to higher ground because of the tsunami warning, which was canceled about 90 minutes after the quake hit.
President Trump sent a tweet “to the Great people of Alaska.”
“You have been hit hard by a ‘big one.’ Please follow the directions of the highly trained professionals who are there to help you. Your Federal Government will spare no expense. God Bless you ALL!”