Thousands of residents along Alaska’s southern coastline scrambled to higher ground on Wednesday after a massive earthquake triggered widespread tsunami warnings and emergency evacuations.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recorded a powerful 7.3-magnitude quake at 12:38 p.m. local time (4:30 p.m. ET), centered in the Pacific Ocean just south of the Alaska Peninsula, near the Shumagin Islands and southeast of Sand Point.
Tsunami sirens blared and mobile alerts lit up phones from Homer to Unimak Pass, urging residents to immediately evacuate low-lying areas. The alert zone covered roughly 700 miles of coastline.
“We heard that traffic was bumper to bumper as people rushed to get off the Spit,” said Homer Mayor Rachel Lord.
Officials issued warnings for potential tsunami impacts along the Alaska Peninsula, Kodiak Island, and parts of the eastern Aleutians. Some of those areas were expected to be hit first.
Striking images showed eerily dry shorelines where the ocean had suddenly retreated—a chilling signal that a tsunami might be imminent.
David Snider, tsunami program coordinator at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), told KTUU that a tsunami was confirmed, with small waves raising sea levels by around 3 inches.
“A tsunami was generated by this event, but no longer poses a threat,” NOAA’s Tsunami Warning Center said. “Some areas may still experience minor sea level changes.”
The full tsunami warning, issued shortly after the quake struck, was downgraded to an advisory within 90 minutes and then canceled by 12:45 p.m. local time (6:45 p.m. ET).
Authorities advised residents to remain vigilant for at least 24 more hours, as abnormal waves and currents could persist through Thursday.
Schools in Kodiak, including Kodiak High School and North Star Elementary, were opened as emergency shelters. In Seward, one resident shared a video on X (formerly Twitter), saying she had just returned to Alaska after 25 years—only to find herself fleeing a tsunami threat. The clip shows her walking quickly away from the shore with others.
“Just pray we don’t get waved,” she says nervously.
The Alaska Earthquake Center recorded more than 20 aftershocks following the initial quake, the strongest measuring magnitude 5.2.
Michael West, a seismologist with the center, told Fox Weather that the entire southern Alaska coastline lies within a highly active seismic zone.
“Four out of five earthquakes in the United States happen in Alaska,” West noted. “Luckily, early signs suggest we dodged the worst today.”
The National Weather Service confirmed there was no tsunami threat to Oregon, Washington, or other U.S. states outside Alaska.
The affected zone extended approximately 700 miles, from 40 miles southwest of Homer to Unimak Pass in the eastern Aleutians.
Kodiak, home to about 5,200 residents, was among the largest communities in the warning area. In King Cove, a coastal town of around 870 people, local authorities urged those in low-lying zones to evacuate to higher ground.
The last earthquake of similar strength in Alaska occurred on June 10, 1996—a 7.2-magnitude quake near the Andreanof Islands. But the most powerful in U.S. history remains the 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake, a 9.2-magnitude monster that unleashed devastating tsunamis and was felt as far away as Seattle and even Japan.
For now, Alaska seems to have avoided another disaster of that scale—but the ground, and nerves, continue to shake.