Tsunami warning in effect for south Alaska and the Alaska Peninsula, Pacific coasts after an earthquake. The warning was given by the U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center.
The warning is following a Magnitude 7.8 earthquake Tuesday night south of Chignik, the National Tsunami Warning Center issued a warning for coastal Alaska from Kennedy Entrance, 40 miles southwest of Homer, to Unimak Pass, 80 miles northeast of Unalaska.
The quake happened at 10:13 p.m. Alaska time and was located 75 miles south of Chignik, the center said. The center predicted that Sand Point, Cold Bay and Kodiak could see waves within hours. The first community predicted to see a wave, Sand Point, reported only a small wave, just after 11 p.m., said James Gridley, the director of NOAA’s National Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer. Gridley estimated the wave was about 25 centimeters.
“Very small,” he said in a phone interview around 11:30 p.m.
He said it was too soon to say what Kodiak and Cold Bay may see but “likely small if we’re already seeing small at Sand Point.”
“We’re not expecting a massive wave anywhere,” he said.
Residents of the Sand Point gathered in the school to await the possible wave. They all wore masks, and people were calm, said D.J. Emanuelson, the principal.
“I’m looking right now at the parking lot,” Emanuelson said. The police are out there and they’re just looking off into the distance, into the ocean. But there’s no excitement here yet.”
