A massive earthquake caused a tsunami warning for hundreds of miles spanning the Alaskan and Canadian coastline, but the alert has now been canceled as no damaging waves were generated according to a report by the Associated Press.
The warning area had included coastal areas from Cape Fairweather, Alaska, to the north of Vancouver Island, Canada. The area extended for more than 700 miles according to the Associated Press.
The 7.5 earthquake did create a tsunami, but the waves didn't pose a threat according to Alaska Tsunami Warning Center. The earthquake started at around midnight on Jan. 4, and a tsunami was created just minutes later.
"Initially, in the first 15 to 20 minutes, there might have been a bit of panic," Sitka Police Chief Sheldon Schmitt told The Associated Press in a phone interview. But he said things calmed down as the town waited for the all clear.
Citizens of Alaska and Canada had been warned that "significant widespread inundation of land is expected," and that there was a very good chance of flooding in those areas.
In cancelling the warning, the Alaska Tsunami Warning Center agreed that only some areas would see "small sea level changes," according to the Associated Press. The Center stated that the earthquake was "widely felt" but they didn't receive any reports of any damage or injuries.
"Several citizens elected on their own to move to higher ground. Several locations in Craig were set up for staging (and) shelter," said Chief Ely to the Associated Press. "No evacuation was ordered."
A tsunami advisory had been in effect briefly for some Alaska coastal areas as well. A tsunami warning means that at least one area will be hit by a wave, where as an advisory means there may only be "strong currents," and widespread inundation is not expected according to the Alaska Earthquake Information Center.
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