The epicenter was just north of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, according to the Alaska Earthquake Center. It violently shook the most populous region of the state as people were settling in to work and school.
The tsunami warning for Southcentral Alaska including Kenai, Kodiak and the shores of Cook Inlet was canceled around 10 a.m. local time.
There were several aftershocks, including a sharp jolt felt widely in Anchorage around 10:26 a.m.
There were several reports of serious damage. The Glenn Highway was closed north of Eagle River because of damage and an onramp at the interchange of International Airport Road and Minnesota Boulevard collapsed.
All Alaska Railroad operations are shut down due to severe damage at the railroad’s Anchorage Operations Center on Ship Creek, including the dispatch center, according to spokesman Tim Sullivan. The center is closed by flooding from burst pipes and the power is out.
No trains were running when the quake hit, but service can’t resume until crews assess damage, Sullivan said. It will be a day or two before that happens.
There are crews out checking roads and bridges all around Alaska “because this was felt as far as Tok and Valdez,” she said.
There were reports of power and phone outages in the region. Traffic was backed up throughout Anchorage as people headed home to check on damage, and some traffic lights had gone dark.
The Southcental Alaska gas utility, Enstar, is assessing the situation for damage, officials said.
The earthquake shook buildings violently. At Anchorage Daily News in Midtown, it sent cracks up walls, damaged ceiling panels and flung items off desks and walls, including a computer monitor and a fire extinguisher.
The trans-Alaska pipeline was shut down as a precaution, according to Alaska Pipeline Services.
Chugach Electric Association, providing service in much of Anchorage, said on a Facebook post it has “power outages throughout” its system.
“Please do not approach any downed power lines or other equipment and facilities,” the utility said.
“We are doing assessment and inspection right now. We need to inspect our equipment for damage before we can re-energize,” it said. “The power outage map on our website is currently not accurate. We will continue to update throughout the day.”
Anchorage Municipal Light and Power, providing service in midtown and north Anchorage, said on Facebook it is “assessing any damages or power outages as a result of the earthquake.”
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