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Alaska Earthquake — Longest 50 Seconds Rocks Residents With 7.1 Magnitude Fury In Early Morning

By Antonio J. Newell
Published on: 14:20 PST, Jan 24, 2016

The 7.1-magnitude Alaska earthquake, which shook the Kenai Peninsula, caused 50 seconds of mayhem in the early morning hours of January 24. But were there injuries?

Around 1:30 a.m., the Alaska earthquake began as residents experienced nearly a minute of non-stop seismic activity. Several Alaska residents gave very different accounts of what happened. Some say the earthquake was “smooth” and “swaying.” Many say that seismic event caused no significant damage at all.

However, others maintain that the Alaska earthquake shook violently. At 7.1 magnitude, it would appear that those who felt minimal shaking may have been among the residents who felt the earthquake some 160 miles away near Anchorage, Alaska.

According to ABC News, several power outages and fires were caused by the 7.1 earthquake. As concerns reports, the source states as follows.

“There were reports of scattered power outages from the Matanuska Electric Association and Chugach Electric in the Anchorage area. The Homer Electric Association reported on its website that about 4,800 customers were without power early Sunday in the Kenai Peninsula.”

However, Accuweather reports that an even-greater 10,000 people are out of electricity. It’s fortunate there are no reported tsunamis heading toward the United States’ mainland, nor British Columbia’s gulf coast in Canada. Yet, even after the main seismic event occurred, the Alaska Earthquake Center — at the University of Alaska, in Fairbanks — also reported another 15 aftershocks.

Unfortunately, an aftershock can be just as deadly as an earthquake, especially if the earthquake was one of great magnitude. In this case, the sources report that the Alaska earthquake aftershocks approximately ranged near 4.7 magnitude.

Due to the Alaskan earthquake, it’s reported that four single-family homes were destroyed in the event — two from explosions, two simply engulfed in fire.

As a result, Alaska Governor Bill Walker mentioned that he would like all Alaska residents to have some type of individual contingency plan in case of future earthquake emergencies. Understandably, it caught several residents by surprise. Photographer Joshua Veldstra told CNN that, when the Alaskan earthquake began, it was “soft.”

Eventually, its magnitude increased, “and it just kept getting bigger.” The Alaska resident stated that it was one of those moments where he didn’t know if the earthquake was going to stop or continuously grow. Joshua also mentioned to CNN that the earthquake lasted approximately 30 seconds before it was over.

However, Alaska resident Andrea Conter said that she reviewed some closed-circuit cameras at work, which actually revealed that the seismic event in her particular region lasted 50 seconds. She’s a former Southern California resident, she told ABC News. When she moved to Anchorage, Alaska, she chose her home and location by a peculiar and familiar factor.

“This was a wild one. I looked at the closed-circuit cameras at work and it lasted over 50 seconds and that is considerable for an earthquake.

“When I bought my house in Anchorage, I had a geological map that shows what are the sturdiest parts of town, and there were a few where I said, ‘If there’s an earthquake, that house is toast. That’s how I chose my house. Literally. Drove my real estate agent nuts. But, I didn’t have one thing fall in my house. It was kind of clutch.”

Although, Andrea’s property wasn’t damaged, the source notes a different story for Andrew Sayers. This Alaska resident mentioned that his television fell over, his dishes broke, things fell off the walls, etc. Fortunately, he wasn’t injured during the earthquake.

And like a scenario out of San Andreas, after escaping the home, it’s reported that he and his family came to a stretch of road which was damaged from the quake. He had to drive fast enough to launch over the crack onto the other side of the road. Sayers said that it’s a wonder his tires didn’t blow out from the landing.

All in all, what are your thoughts about the Alaska earthquake, today? Did you know it still wasn’t the biggest quake to hit the state? According to Accuweather, that distinction belongs to another quake:

“The largest recorded earthquake in the Anchorage area was a 9.2-magnitude temblor, which generated a massive tsunami in March 1964. More than 130 people died in the earthquake and tsunami.”

Crazy, right? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments, below.

[Photo by Alaska Department of Transportation/AP Images]

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