Pysu Breaking: Massive tsunami hits

Breaking: Massive tsunami hits Alaska after undersea earthquake — Residents urged to evacuate

A powerful tsunami has struck the southern coast of Alaska following a massive undersea earthquake early this morning. The U.S. Geological Survey reported the quake had a magnitude of 8.2, triggering immediate tsunami warnings and forcing thousands of residents to flee low-lying areas.

Waves of up to 6 meters (20 feet) have been reported, battering coastal communities, sweeping away boats and vehicles and causing damage to infrastructure. Emergency services are actively working on evacuations and assessing the extent of the damage.

Authorities urged residents of Anchorage, Kodiak, and nearby towns to move to higher ground as sirens sounded throughout the early hours of the day. So far, no fatalities have been confirmed, but multiple injuries and missing people have been reported.

Authorities warn of the potential for aftershocks and new waves. The National Weather Service continues to closely monitor the situation and has issued warnings for the entire Pacific coast.

Anchorage, Alaska

— A powerful undersea earthquake struck off the southern coast of Alaska earlier today, triggering a massive tsunami that has already impacted several coastal areas. Authorities are urging residents in low-lying and coastal zones to evacuate immediately as more waves are expected.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the earthquake occurred at approximately 7:42 AM local time, with a preliminary magnitude of 8.3. The epicenter was located about 120 miles southeast of Kodiak Island, at a depth of around 25 kilometers beneath the ocean floor.

Within minutes of the quake, the National Tsunami Warning Center issued tsunami warnings for large portions of Alaska’s southern coast, including the Aleutian Islands, the Kenai Peninsula, and parts of southeastern Alaska. Tsunami sirens were activated across the affected regions, and emergency services began rapidly mobilizing.

Early footage from Kodiak, Seward, and Homer shows strong waves inundating harbors, damaging boats, and sweeping debris inland. Several roads near the shoreline have been flooded or destroyed, and local officials are reporting structural damage in multiple towns. No casualties have been confirmed at this time, but search and rescue operations are ongoing.

Alaska is the most earthquake-prone state. Here is why Wednesday’s earthquake was notable

In this image provided by Tim Hatfield, cars leave Homer Spit on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, in Homer, Alaska. (Tim Hatfield via AP)

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Wednesday’s magnitude 7.3 earthquake off Alaska’s Aleutian Islands chain struck in a region that has experienced a handful of powerful quakes within the last five years — including one that shook communities almost exactly two years earlier.

Officials said Thursday they had received no reports of injuries or major damage from the latest event, which triggered a tsunami warning that lasted about an hour before being downgraded and prompted communities along a 700-mile (1,127-km) stretch of Alaska’s southern coast to urge people to move to higher ground. The official maximum wave height at Sand Point, a community 55 miles (88 kilometers) north of the epicenter, was about 3.9 inches (10 centimeters), said Kara Sterling, a lead duty scientist at the National Tsunami Warning Center. It occurred at low tide.

Earthquake sparked tsunami warnings

The earthquake struck at 12:37 p.m. local time, prompting the center’s tsunami warning.

There are a number of ways people in warning areas can receive notifications, including the sounding of sirens in communities that have them, listening to weather radio or public radio broadcasts, following official accounts on social media, or via push alerts on cellphones. In some places, local officials have relayed warnings door to door, said Jeremy Zidek, a spokesperson with the state’s emergency management division.

Public safety departments in King Cove and Unalaska sent alerts urging those in coastal areas or those that could see inundation to seek higher ground.

The warning issued by the center was downgraded to an advisory before being canceled around 2:45 p.m.

Alaska is one of world’s most seismically active regions

Alaska is the most earthquake-prone state in the U.S. and one of the most seismically active regions in the world, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The state experiences a magnitude 7 earthquake almost annually, and the second-largest earthquake ever recorded was centered about 75 miles (120 kilometers) east of Anchorage, the agency said. That 1964 magnitude 9.2 earthquake — and the tsunami it triggered — killed about 130 people.

The Aleutian arc is no stranger to earthquakes, but the activity in the region where Wednesday’s earthquake struck has gotten scientists’ attention. The area, within a few hundred miles of the earthquake, has “lit up” since 2020, with Wednesday’s earthquake marking the fifth exceeding magnitude 7.0 since 2020, said state seismologist Michael West.

“I would not call this an isolated earthquake. It appears to be part of a larger sequence spanning the last several years,” he said. But West added: “There’s no reason to be alarmist about this.”

People should continue to heed warnings, officials say

Some communities have buildings designated on higher ground as meetup points during tsunami warnings, such as a school, while others might simply urge residents to retreat up a hillside, Zidek said.

“That area of Alaska, most areas of Alaska, it gets steep real quick,” he said.

Sometimes, the only warning one might have is the shaking ground, Zidek said. “If it shakes violently for 20 seconds or more, that is your warning sign, and you should head to higher ground if you’re in a coastal area,” he said.

Zidek and West said people should continue to heed warnings. West said he worries about a “burnout effect” among residents in the region, some of whom have evacuated numerous times since 2018 in response to larger earthquakes that have not caused significant damage.

West said he is reminded of a magnitude 8.6 earthquake in 1946 — west of the location of Wednesday’s quake — that generated a deadly tsunami and led to the creation of a U.S. tsunami warning system. The death toll included more than 150 people in Hawaii, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“This area is capable of trans-Pacific tsunamis, and I feel like maybe the best way to stay vigilant … is maybe to look into our deeper history beyond just the last five years,” he said.