A magnitude-7.1 earthquake hit Alaska just months after the last 7.9 magnitude quake, on Jan. 24, according to CNN news.
Although no reports of injury, the shaking caused road damage, destroyed four homes and evacuated more than 30 homes because of power outages and gas leakage, reported ABC news.
The U.S. Geological Survey reported a magnitude of 7 or greater quake occurs every one to two years on average. This earthquake was reported to be significant because it was close to Alaska's population centers.
Andrea Conter, 50, of Anchorage, spoke to Alaska Dispatch news and said she was surprised by the quake's strength because it lasted over 50 seconds, which was considerable for an earthquake.
“When it hit, it was just soft at first, and it just kept getting bigger,” Joshua Veldstra, a professional photographer who lives in Homer, told CNN. “It was one of those moments where you didn’t know if it was going to get worse or if it was going to calm down.”
Joyce Perez, a junior marketing major from The Philippines, said she could relate to the victims due to her experience in a flood while in the Philippines.
She shared, “It was hard. It was hard to go anywhere. Schools had to be cleared before school could resume and we had to help clean up the mess. Also, a lot of money was spent for repairs.
“I feel bad for the people affected because they can’t go to work or do certain activities normally, but I know Alaska is resilient,” continued Perez.
For Jillian Morte, a sophomore arts major from Norway, she is thankful that there were no victims in the quake. “I have never experienced any natural disasters and I am sure they feel sad to lose their homes, but they also probably feel good because no one was hurt.”
Morte said she knows with today’s technology, countries should take precautions to ensure the safety of the citizens. “I’m not sure if we can completely get rid of the damage of the natural disasters, but its good to take precautions,” she explained.
Josh Miller, a senior business management major from Utah, was devastated to hear the news. “My heart goes out to the people affected. I am relieved that there was not more damage. It would be worse if it would create a tsunami somewhere in the Pacific because there are always aftershocks in an earthquake.”
In the USGS, it stated that earthquakes will continue in this region because Alaska is located on top of two tectonic plates: the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate. The earthquake struck at about 1:30 a.m. Alaska time and two smaller earthquakes followed within 2 hours, one of M 4.0 and the other M 3.2, according to the USGS.
The hashtag #akquake trended on Twitter as people shared their experiences and posted photos of the quake.