A tsunami warning was in effect for coastal areas of Alaska’s Cook Inlet and southern Kenai Peninsula after an earthquake Friday with a preliminary magnitude of 7.0, according to a bulletin from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The quake knocked CNN affiliate KTUU off the air. Items fell from shelves at the station, news director Tracy Sabo told CNN’s Sara Finch.
Social media images show a chaotic scene, including children taking shelter under desks and fallen items tumbling from shelves in a grocery store. Ceiling tiles were scattered across a floor in another photo.
The US Geological Survey has reported at least four aftershocks following the first quake. The largest, registering 5.8, was located in the city of Anchorage.
Reporters at CNN affiliate KTVA described falling window panes at the station’s offices.
“The structure of the roof just collapsed,” one of them said. “We can’t even get into our studio right now. There were computers flying, cameras toppling over.”
The NOAA alert said that “for other US and Canadian Pacific coasts in North America, the level of tsunami danger is being evaluated. Further information will be provided in supplementary messages.”
