UPDATE: Magnitude-7.1 Quake Jolts Alaska; 4 Homes Lost

UPDATE: Magnitude-7.1 Quake Jolts Alaska; 4 Homes Lost
Tyrrel Corveia, 14, lifts a piece of the road surface along a crack in Kalifornsky-Beach Road near Kasilof, Alaska, Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016, following a magnitude-7.1 earthquake. Corveia lives in a yurt and said she woke up to the structure shaking on its stilts, but said the home sustained no damage. (Kelly Sullivan/Peninsula Clarion via AP)
The Associated Press
1/25/2016
Updated:
1/25/2016

ANCHORAGE, Alaska—A magnitude-7.1 quake knocked items off shelves and walls in Alaska, jolting the nerves of residents in this earthquake-prone region. There were no reports of injuries, but four homes were lost to explosions or fire following the quake.

Alaska’s state seismologist, Michael West, called Sunday’s early morning quake the strongest in the state’s south-central region in decades. Alaska often has larger or more powerful earthquakes, such as a 7.9 last year in the remote Aleutian Islands.

“However, last night’s earthquake is significant because it was close enough to Alaska’s population centers,” West said, adding that aftershocks could continue for weeks.

The earthquake was widely felt by Anchorage residents. But the Anchorage and Valdez police departments said they hadn’t received any reports of injury or significant damage.

The earthquake struck at about 1:30 a.m. Alaska time and was centered 53 miles west of Anchor Point in the Kenai Peninsula, which is about 160 miles southwest of Anchorage, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Robin and Shannon Muster relax with their daughter, 6-year-old Effie, in a temporary shelter after being evacuated from their home following an earthquake, Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016, at the Kenai National Guard Armory in Kenai, Alaska. (Megan Pacer/Peninsula Clarion via AP)
Robin and Shannon Muster relax with their daughter, 6-year-old Effie, in a temporary shelter after being evacuated from their home following an earthquake, Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016, at the Kenai National Guard Armory in Kenai, Alaska. (Megan Pacer/Peninsula Clarion via AP)

“No injuries. Thank God,” he said. “The second one was a major explosion. We’re fortunate that no one was hurt.”

About 30 homes were evacuated, and some people took shelter at the Kenai National Guard Armory.

Cones mark a crack on Kalifornsky-Beach Road near Kasilof, Alaska, Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016, following a magnitude-7.1 earthquake. Alaska's state seismologist, Michael West, called it the strongest earthquake in the state's south-central region in decades. (Kelly Sullivan/Peninsula Clarion via AP)
Cones mark a crack on Kalifornsky-Beach Road near Kasilof, Alaska, Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016, following a magnitude-7.1 earthquake. Alaska's state seismologist, Michael West, called it the strongest earthquake in the state's south-central region in decades. (Kelly Sullivan/Peninsula Clarion via AP)

Workers with the gas utility were examining the remaining homes Sunday afternoon with the goal of getting displaced residents back in their homes later in the day.

The USGS initially reported the quake as a magnitude-7.1, but downgraded shortly afterward to magnitude-6.8 before raising it back to 7.1.

“Some earthquakes have challenges associated with them, they are unusual or hard to monitor,” West said. “This is neither of them. Southern Alaska is well instrumented, and this earthquake is of the style and type that we would expect in this area.”

The biggest aftershock Sunday was 4.7, and West said a magnitude-5 or magnitude-6 aftershock is possible.

There were reports of scattered power outages from the Matanuska Electric Association and Chugach Electric in the Anchorage area. The Homer Electric Association reported on its website that about 4,800 customers were without power early Sunday in the Kenai Peninsula.

The Alaska Department of Transportation reported on its Facebook page that there was road damage near the community of Kasilof, on the Kenai Peninsula.

In this photo provided by Vincent Nusunginya, items fallen from the shelves litter the aisles inside a Safeway grocery store following a magnitude 6.8 earthquake on the Kenai Peninsula on Sunday Jan. 24, 2016, in south-central Alaska. The quake knocked items off shelves and walls in south-central Alaska and jolted the nerves of residents in this earthquake prone region, but there were no immediate reports of injuries. (Vincent Nusunginya via the AP)
In this photo provided by Vincent Nusunginya, items fallen from the shelves litter the aisles inside a Safeway grocery store following a magnitude 6.8 earthquake on the Kenai Peninsula on Sunday Jan. 24, 2016, in south-central Alaska. The quake knocked items off shelves and walls in south-central Alaska and jolted the nerves of residents in this earthquake prone region, but there were no immediate reports of injuries. (Vincent Nusunginya via the AP)

Alaska Gov. Bill Walker said in a statement Sunday that he was relieved there wasn’t more damage. He urged all Alaskans to have a response plan for when a major natural disaster takes place.

The hashtag #akquake trended early Sunday on Twitter as people shared their experiences and posted photos of items that had fallen off walls and shelves.

Andrea Conter, 50, of Anchorage, said she was surprised by the quake’s strength.

“This was a wild one,” the former Southern California resident said. “I looked at the closed-circuit cameras at work and it lasted over 50 seconds and that is considerable for an earthquake.”

“When I bought my house in Anchorage I had a geological map that shows what are the sturdiest parts of town and there were a few where I said, ‘If there’s an earthquake, that house is toast,’” Conter said. “That’s how I chose my house. Literally. Drove my real estate agent nuts. But, I didn’t have one thing fall in my house. It was kind of clutch.”

Andrew Sayers, 26, of Kasilof was watching television when the quake struck.

“The house started to shake violently. The TV we were watching fell over, stuff fell off the walls,” he said. “Dishes were crashing, and we sprinted toward the doorway.”

Later, he was driving to his mother’s home when he came across a stretch of road that was damaged in the quake.

“We launched over this crack in the road. It’s a miracle we didn’t bust our tires on it,” he said.

After reaching his mother’s house, Sayers checked on his grandparents, who live about a mile away.

“No damage, except their Christmas tree fell over,” he said.