A powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck southern Alaska near the Shumagin Islands at 12:38 p.m. local time, prompting tsunami warnings and mass evacuations. “We heard reports of bumper-to-bumper traffic early on,” said Homer’s mayor Rachel Lord, as alarms and emergency alerts pushed residents to higher ground.

Tsunami warnings were issued across coastal areas like Kodiak Island and the eastern Aleutians. Photos showed empty beaches and receding water. NOAA’s David Snider confirmed, “A tsunami was indeed generated,” though it raised sea levels by only three inches. The threat was downgraded within 90 minutes and fully lifted by 12:45 p.m.

Despite the lifted warning, coastal residents were urged to remain cautious for 24 hours. Emergency shelters opened in towns like Kodiak and Seward, where one woman said, “Just pray we don’t get waved.”

Over 20 aftershocks followed, with the largest at 5.2 magnitude. Seismologist Michael West noted, “Four out of five U.S. earthquakes happen in Alaska… It looks like we got lucky this time.”

No tsunami risk extended to other states. The last similar quake occurred in 1996, but memories remain of the deadly 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake—a 9.2 magnitude disaster that devastated the region and sent tsunamis across the Pacific.