Alaska Residents Fled Inland After Offshore 7.9 Earthquake
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JUNEAU, AK (CBSMiami) - People along the coast of Alaska evacuated inland overnight after a powerful earthquake sparked a Tsunami Warning.
Residents all along the west coast, as far south as Mexico, were put under a Tsunami watch for a few hours.
The 7.9 magnitude earthquake was centered about 150 miles southeast of Kodiak Island where Tsunami Warning sirens went off.
"We woke up to the house shaking and the pots and pans rattling in the kitchen," said Dan Bailey.
Police urged residents to seek higher ground.
"This is not a drill, this is an actual tsunami warning, everybody get at least 100 feet above sea level," said Kodiak Police Sergeant Derek Beaver in a video posted on Facebook.
Many residents evacuated the area.
The Anchorage Office of Emergency Management issued a Tsunami Warning for the coastal areas of Alaska. That warning has since been discontinued.
People reported on social media that the quake was felt as far away as southern California, hundreds of miles away from the epicenter.