ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The fire chief of a popular Alaska cruise ship port city says there was no panic as residents reacted to a tsunami warning triggered by an earthquake in the Gulf of Alaska.
Seward fire chief Eddie Athey praised his community for doing “the right thing” early Tuesday, calling it “a controlled evacuation” as people left for higher ground or drove along the only road out of the city.
Athey says the quake was gentle, and that it “felt like the washer was off balance.” He says he knows of no damage in the community 110 miles southeast of Anchorage.
He says the quake went on for up to 90 seconds — long enough that he thought “Boy, I hope this stops soon because it’s just getting worse.”