Tsunami warning as it happened: Threat to US and Canada ebbs away after earthquake sparks panic

Tsunami warning issued on USA's east coast after earthquake off coast of Alaska

Much of the west coast of the US was woken by the threat of a huge tsunami overnight. But the panic soon subsided after all warnings were eventually withdrawn

Alaska and other parts of North America were bracing itself for disaster after a huge 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck at a shallow depth some 160 miles off the state's coast.

While alerts were originally issued across the entire west coast of America and Canada, they have since been withdrawn for all states. That was after people were told to head to high ground and get safe amid fears the tsunami could cause serious damage.

The US Geological Survey said the quake struck 256 km (157 miles) southeast of Chiniak, Alaska at a depth of 10 km at 0931 GMT on Tuesday morning.

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Key Points

• Emergency alerts sent to phones across the US, telling people to move to high ground
• Map shows how long potential tsunami would take to reach land
• Tsunami watch and warning cover much of the west coast of the US and Canada

[23 January 2018 11:53 · Andrew Griffin]

Another update from Kodiak police:

They have posted a letter on Facebook that says the tsunami warning is still in effect and that people need to remain at high ground. It gives useful information for people in the area – the high school has space for more people, and they should park at the library – and makes clear that there will be more updates soon.

[23 January 2018 12:05 · Andrew Griffin]

A new update from the Associated Press:

Larry LeDoux, superintendent of the Kodiak Island Borough School District, says schools were open as shelters and estimated there were about 500 people at the high school. 

He described the atmosphere inside as calm, with people waiting for any updates. 

He said sirens go off in the community every week, as a test to make sure they are working. He said the sirens were sounded for the early Tuesday tsunami warning. 

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 8.2 struck early Tuesday about 175 miles southeast of Kodiak Island. 

A tsunami warning was issued for a large swath of coastal Alaska and Canada's British Columbia while the remainder of the U.S. West Coast was under a watch.

[23 January 2018 12:20 · Andrew Griffin]

The tsunami watch has now been cancelled for the states in the mainland US.

[23 January 2018 12:21 · Andrew Griffin]

The tsunami advisory is still in effect in south Alaska and the Alaska Peninsula. Everything else appears to have been called off.

[23 January 2018 12:21 · Andrew Griffin]

The new estimate for Kodiak, where the tsunami is expect to arrive first, is in just a few minutes. But it will only be around a foot high, according to the tsunami centre.

[23 January 2018 12:29 · Andrew Griffin]

Here's the new advisory map, which covers a lot less of the country and removes the immediate warnings. There's still some danger in some parts of Alaska, as you can see, but the rest of the country is no longer considered under threat.

[23 January 2018 12:33 · Andrew Griffin]

Here's the PA report on the latest in Alaska:

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 8.2 has struck off Alaska's Kodiak Island, prompting a tsunami warning for a large part of coastal Alaska and Canada's British Columbia while the remainder of the US West Coast was under a watch.

The strong earthquake hit at 12:32am local time and was recorded about 175 miles south east of Kodiak Island. Warnings from the National Weather Service sent to mobile phones in Alaska warned: "Emergency Alert. Tsunami danger on the coast. Go to high ground or move inland."

Kodiak officials warned residents to evacuate if they lived in low-lying areas.

About two hours after the quake, the city of Kodiak, which was projected to see the first wave at about 1:45am, still had no reports of a wave hitting.

Lieutenant Tim Putney of the Kodiak Police Department said: "We haven't seen anything yet or had any reports of a wave."

However, officials were telling people to hold fast at evacuation centres until further notice. He said the town has several shelters above the 100-foot mark, and they were still encouraging people below that level to evacuate.

The earthquake woke Lt Putney up out of a dead sleep, and he estimates it shook for at least 30 seconds.

"I've been Kodiak for 19 years that was the strongest, longest lasting one I've ever felt," he said by telephone.

But he said the police department has received no reports of damage.

The Alaska Earthquake Information Centre said the quake was felt widely in several communities on the Kenai Peninsula and throughout southern Alaska, but it also had no immediate reports of damage. People reported on social media that the quake was felt hundreds of miles away, in Anchorage.

Kerry Seifert, an emergency management specialist in the state emergency operations center, said the center had not received any reports of damage as the timeline for initial waves reaching some communities had passed.

"This is almost too soon to be into it to get that kind of information," he said. "And certainly, communities are climbing hills, some of them."

Larry LeDoux, superintendent of the Kodiak Island Borough School District, said schools were open as shelters and estimated there were about 500 people at the high school.

He described the atmosphere inside as calm, with people waiting for any updates.

He said sirens go off in the community every week, as a test to make sure they are working. He said the sirens were sounded for the early Tuesday tsunami warning.

Keith Perkins, who lives in the southeast Alaska community of Sitka, arrived at the high school early Tuesday morning, after an alarm on his cellphone alerted him of the tsunami warning. He says the city's sirens also went off later.

He said people on Facebook were chattering back and forth about whether this was real or not and what they should do.

Given the magnitude of the earthquake, Mr Perkins said he thought it best to head to school, the tsunami evacuation point, even though in the past he felt his home was at a "high-enough spot".

"I figured I'd probably just better play it safe," he said.

He said police officers were directing traffic and the parking lot at the school was filling up. He said he saw some people carrying suitcases or backpacks. Mr Perkins said he did not bring anything along.

[23 January 2018 12:46 · Andrew Griffin]

Many of the warnings are now being cancelled. But that doesn't mean the night passed without incident: people across Alaska were told to evacuate from their houses and move to safe areas, and the tsunami warning covered much of the west coast of the US and Canada.

It's a reminder of the speed with which people could be forced to flee from something even more dangerous, and how possible such an event could be.

[23 January 2018 13:05 · Andrew Griffin]

While the most dramatic of the warnings are over, police departments including those in Kodiak are still telling people to remain where they are. People have told they will be updated but they should stay in high ground for now.

[23 January 2018 13:17 · Andrew Griffin]

The latest from AP:

A 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck off Alaska's Kodiak Island early Tuesday, prompting a tsunami warning for a large swath of the state's coast and sending some residents fleeing to higher ground. 

Officials at the National Tsunami Center canceled the warning after a few tense hours after waves failed to show up in coastal Alaska communities. 

Alaska's Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management said there have been no reports of damage, so far. 

The strong earthquake hit at 12:30 a.m. and was recorded about 170 miles southeast of Kodiak Island in the Gulf of Alaska. Kodiak Island is located about 200 miles southwest of Anchorage, Alaska's largest city, which was not under a tsunami threat. 

Reports varied about how long the shaking lasted. In the popular cruise ship town of Seward, about 230 miles northeast of Kodiak Island, fire chief Eddie Athey said the quake felt like a gentle rattle and lasted for up to 90 seconds. 

"It went on long enough that you start thinking to yourself, 'Boy, I hope this stops soon because it's just getting worse,"' Athey said. 

Initially, the USGS said the earthquake was a magnitude 8.2. That prompted the tsunami warning for coastal Alaska and Canada's British Columbia, while the remainder of the U.S. West Coast was under a watch. 

An advisory remained in effect for a small part of the state. Watches were canceled for Washington, Oregon, California and Hawaii. Officials in Japan also said there was no tsunami threat there. 

Warnings from the National Weather Service sent to cellphones in Alaska warned: "Emergency Alert. Tsunami danger on the coast. Go to high ground or move inland." 

Kodiak officials warned residents to evacuate if they lived in low-lying areas. Residents scrambled to safety, and some sought refuge in schools that were transformed into shelters. 

The city of Kodiak was projected to see the first wave about an hour after the quake, but 90 minutes after the quake, there was no report of any waves. 

Lt. Tim Putney of the Kodiak Police Department said: "We haven't seen anything yet or had any reports of a wave." 

However, officials told people to hold fast at evacuation centers until further notice. He said the town has several shelters above the 100-foot mark, and they were still encouraging people below that level to evacuate. 

The earthquake woke Putney out of a dead sleep, and he estimates it shook for at least 30 seconds. 

"I've been Kodiak for 19 years that was the strongest, longest lasting one I've ever felt," he said by telephone. 

Alaska Gov. Bill Walker said on his Twitter feed that he has been in contact with local officials and the state's adjutant general, and he urged residents to heed any warnings to move inland or to higher ground. 

The Alaska Earthquake Information Center said the quake was felt widely in several communities on the Kenai Peninsula and throughout southern Alaska, but it also had no immediate reports of damage. People reported on social media that the quake was felt hundreds of miles away, in Anchorage. 

Kerry Seifert, an emergency management specialist in the state emergency operations center, said no reports of damage had been received as the timeline for initial waves reaching some communities passed. 

"This is almost too soon to be into it to get that kind of information," he said. 

In Seward, about 110 miles southeast of Anchorage, residents retreated to higher ground or left on the only road out of the city, fire chief Athey said. He described it as a controlled evacuation and compared it to folks driving home from a holiday fireworks show. 

Larry LeDoux, superintendent of the Kodiak Island Borough School District, said schools were open as shelters and estimated there were about 500 people at the high school. 

He described the atmosphere inside as calm, with people waiting for any updates. 

He said sirens go off in the community every week, as a test to make sure they are working. He said the sirens were sounded for the early Tuesday tsunami warning. 

Keith Perkins, who lives in the southeast Alaska community of Sitka, arrived at the high school early Tuesday morning, after an alarm on his cellphone alerted him of the tsunami warning. He says the city's sirens also went off later. 

He said people on Facebook were chattering back and forth about whether this was real or not and what they should do. 

Given the magnitude of the earthquake, Perkins said he thought it best to head to school, the tsunami evacuation point, even though in the past he felt his home was at a "high-enough spot." 

"I figured I'd probably just better play it safe," he said. 

He said police officers were directing traffic and the parking lot at the school was filling up. He said he saw some people carrying suitcases or backpacks. Perkins said he didn't bring anything along.