Tsunami Warning in Effect for Coastal Alaska Following Earthquake

UPDATE: Per the Anchorage Daily News, The tsunami warning was cancelled around 3 p.m. Monday, October 19, when officials determined the waves would not cause any significant threat to the area. A tsunami advisory remained in place that afternoon.

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake has reportedly occurred south of the Alaskan Peninsula, and a tsunami warning has been issued for the Pacific coast of the state.

The quake hit about 55 miles southeast of Sand Point, Alaska. People in coastal areas have been instructed to “keep calm and quickly move to higher ground away from the coast.”

According to the National Weather Service, “Tsunami warnings mean that a tsunami with significant inundation is possible or is already occurring. Tsunamis are a series of waves dangerous many hours after initial arrival time. The first wave may not be the largest.”