April Pearce was at her desk at work in the assessor’s office in the small city of Soldotna and started filming once she realized the rumbling of the Alaska earthquake was the start of something big.
The Latest on the earthquake in Alaska (all times local):
12:20 p.m.
April Pearce was at her desk at work in the assessor’s office in the small city of Soldotna and started filming once she realized the rumbling of the Alaska earthquake was the start of something big.
In the video, the murmurs of her colleagues can be heard as filing cabinets jostle.
Pearce says: „Holy smokes.“
She says in an email later that people were gasping and panicking and called the event „spooky.“
Her home escaped major damage, but some Christmas decorations fell down.
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12:05 p.m.
Fifteen-year-old Sadie Blake and other members of the Homer High School wrestling team were at an Anchorage school gymnasium waiting for a tournament to start when the earthquake hit.
She says the bleachers started rocking „like crazy“ and then the lights went out. People ran the bleachers in the pitch dark, trying to get out.
Team chaperone Ginny Grimes says Tuesday’s quake created „a gym full of screams.“
By the time it was over, Sadie was still in the gym and says she started crying while hanging out in a nearby mall with her team.
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12 p.m
Molly McCammon says was at home waiting for a work teleconference when the quake started.
She says she’s lived in Alaska 45 years and called Friday’s earthquake „worst earthquake I’ve ever been in.“
McCammon had taken a tour Thursday of the Anchorage Emergency Operations Center in her role as a member of the Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Council. One of the topics was earthquake preparation.
She says: „Then it happens the next day.“
McCammon says the quake reminded her how much more emergency preparation she needs to do. She plans to sign up for an emergency alert system and make sure she has an emergency kit on hand.
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11:45 a.m.
Anchorage Police Chief Justin Doll says he’s been told parts of a scenic highway that heads from Anchorage toward mountains and glaciers have sunken and „completely disappeared“ following the earthquake.
He says officials are evaluating the damage to the Glenn Highway but some was so significant that it will probably „take a long time to repair.“
Doll also said Friday that there has been damage reported to bridges.
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11:40 a.m.
President Donald Trump has tweeted that the federal government „will spare no expense“ helping Alaska following the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that shook Anchorage.
Trump on Friday tweeted „you have been hit hard by a ‚big one'“ and asked residents to follow officials‘ directions.
Former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin tweeted that her family is OK but said her „house is not.“ She did not elaborate but said the thinks „that’s the case for many, many others.“
The police chief and the mayor of Anchorage said they were unaware of any reports of deaths of injuries after the quake shook buildings and opened up crevices and cracks in roads.
Anchorage Fire Department Jodie Hettrick says there were reports of buildings collapsing but she did not have further details.
—This version corrects that the earthquake happened Friday, not Tuesday.
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11:20 a.m.
Anchorage Police Chief Justin Doll says he is unaware of reports of deaths or serious injuries following the earthquake that rocked the state’s largest city.
Doll made the statement to reporters Friday after the quake shook buildings and damaged road infrastructure.
It was felt 350 miles (560 kilometers) away in Fairbanks.
— This version corrects that the earthquake happened Friday, not Tuesday.
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11:05 a.m.
The Alaska Railroad has suspended all operations amid „severe“ damage at their Anchorage Operations Center and unknown track conditions throughout the state.
External Affairs Manager Tim Sullivan says the operations center lost power and is experiencing flooding following the quake Friday that rocked Anchorage and surrounding areas.
He says: „It’s tough to run trains when you have no dispatch.“
Sullivan says no reports of track damage have yet been reported, but it will take a day or two for staff to fully assess conditions. Until the tracks are cleared for use, all railroad operations will are suspended, Sullivan said.
