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Parts of southern Alaska under tsunami warning following magnitude 7.5 earthquake

2020-10-20T02:24:50.523Z


The Alaska Earthquake Center said the phenomenon was widely felt in communities along the southern coast, including Sand Point, Chignik, Unalaska and the Kenai Peninsula. Residents of the coastal area have been asked to remain calm and move quickly to higher ground away from the coast.


Parts of southern Alaska were under a tsunami warning after a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck Sand Point in southern Alaska this afternoon.

The alert was downgraded hours later to a tsunami warning, which was still in effect for a portion of about 1,000 miles of the southern coast of the state.

The earthquake occurred about 55 miles (88 kilometers) southeast of that city, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.

It was registered around 12:55 pm (local time).

Sand Point, the town closest to the earthquake's point of origin, is about 575 nautical miles southwest of Anchorage, Alaska's largest city and one of the most touristy.

In this town of 900 people, the sea level rose by at least 2 feet (61 centimeters), according to the National Tsunami Warning Center.

The Alaska Earthquake Center said the phenomenon was widely felt in communities along the southern coast, including

Sand Point, Chignik, Unalaska and the Kenai Peninsula.

The Center reported that a magnitude 5.8 aftershock occurred 11 minutes later, centered in roughly the same area as the first earthquake.

Authorities have asked residents of the coastal area to remain calm and move quickly to higher ground away from the coast.

So far, 

no tsunami warnings have been issued for other areas.

No damage has been reported either. 

[How to Prepare for the Next Earthquake: Here's What to Do]

The National Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer, Alaska, said the tsunami warning - and later warning - is in effect for an area approximately 950 miles (1,529 kilometers), from 40 miles (64 kilometers) southeast of Homer to Unimak Pass, about 80 miles (129 kilometers) northeast of Unalaska. 

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USGS geophysicist Paul Caruso said a 7.5 earthquake in this area is not a surprise.

“This is an area where the Pacific Plate is subducting under the North American Plate.

And because of that, the Pacific Plate actually goes under the North American Plate, where it melts, ”Caruso said, noting that this is why there are volcanoes in the region.

The earthquake occurred about 55 miles (88 kilometers) southeast of Sand Point in southern Alaska.

He checked in around 12:55 pm (local time) .USGS

"So we commonly have big magnitude 7 earthquakes in that area."

A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Alaska in July and also sparked fears of a possible tsunami. 

"Our truck rocked big."

"There was a good shaking here," David Adams, who works at an accommodation facility in Sand Point, told AP.

"We are fine".

"You could see the water shaking and flickering during the earthquake," he said.

"Our truck rocked in a big way. It

just happened suddenly

."

[Why do earthquakes occur]

Rita Tungul, a receptionist at the Grand Aleutian Hotel in Unalaska, said she felt a shaking but not as strong. 

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According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

a tsunami can occur on any coast of the ocean and can hit any coast at any time.

"There is no season for tsunamis. We cannot predict where, when or how destructive the next tsunami will be," says the agency.

But he emphasizes that there are ways to protect yourself. 

What to do in the face of a tsunami threat?

  • According to NOAA, there are two types of tsunami warnings: the official, issued by the authorities, and the natural, which are the changes you can see in the ocean if you are in an area prone to these phenomena.

    Signs include the rapid decline in sea level or a loud roar coming from the ocean.

  • If you receive any type of warning, do not enter the water and stay away from beaches, ports, marinas, bays and inlets.

  • Evacuate if instructed to do so by authorities, NOAA stresses.

    If there is no safe place to go, try going higher up and away from the sea.

  • Don't go to shore to watch the tsunami.

  • Do not return to shore until officials tell you it is safe to do so.

Source: telemundo

All news articles on 2020-10-20

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