The 1964 Alaska earthquake, also known as the Great Alaska earthquake and Good Friday earthquake, occurred at 5:36 PM
AKST on
Good Friday
Good Friday, also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday, or Friday of the Passion of the Lord, is a solemn Christian holy day commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary (Golgotha). It is observed during ...
, March 27, 1964.
[M 9.2 - The 1964 Prince William Sound, Alaska Earthquake: Overview](_blank)
USGS Earthquake Hazards Program. Across south-central
Alaska
Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...
, ground fissures, collapsing structures, and
tsunami
A tsunami ( ; from , ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and underwater explosions (including detonations, ...
s resulting from the earthquake caused about 139 deaths.
Lasting four minutes and thirty-eight seconds, the magnitude 9.2–9.3
megathrust earthquake
Megathrust earthquakes occur at convergent plate boundaries, where one tectonic plate is forced underneath another. The earthquakes are caused by slip along the thrust fault that forms the contact between the two plates. These interplate earthq ...
remains the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
,
and the
second most powerful earthquake ever recorded in the world since modern seismography began in 1900.
of fault ruptured at once and moved up to , releasing about 500 years of stress buildup.
Soil liquefaction
Soil liquefaction occurs when a cohesionless saturated or partially saturated soil substantially loses Shear strength (soil), strength and stiffness in response to an applied Shear stress, stress such as shaking during an earthquake or other s ...
, fissures, landslides, and other ground failures caused major structural damage in several communities and much damage to property.
Anchorage
Anchorage, officially the Municipality of Anchorage, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alaska. With a population of 291,247 at the 2020 census, it contains nearly 40 percent of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolita ...
sustained great destruction or damage to many inadequately
earthquake-engineered houses, buildings, and infrastructure (paved streets, sidewalks, water and sewer mains, electrical systems, and other man-made equipment), particularly in the several landslide zones along
Knik Arm. southwest, some areas near
Kodiak were permanently raised by . Southeast of Anchorage, areas around the head of
Turnagain Arm
Turnagain Arm (Denaʼina language, Dena'ina: ''Tutl'uh'') is a waterway into the northwestern part of the Gulf of Alaska. It is one of two narrow branches at the north end of Cook Inlet, the other being Knik Arm. Turnagain is subject to climate e ...
near
Girdwood and
Portage
Portage or portaging ( CA: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a '' ...
dropped as much as , requiring reconstruction and fill to raise the
Seward Highway
The Seward Highway is a highway in the U.S. state of Alaska that extends from Seward, Alaska, Seward to Anchorage, Alaska, Anchorage. It was completed in 1951 and runs through the scenic Kenai Peninsula, Chugach National Forest, Turnagain Arm ...
above the new high
tide
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another.
Tide tables ...
mark.
In
Prince William Sound
Prince William Sound ( Sugpiaq: ''Suungaaciq'') is a sound off the Gulf of Alaska on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is located on the east side of the Kenai Peninsula. Its largest port is Valdez, at the southern terminus of the ...
,
Port Valdez suffered a massive underwater landslide, resulting in the deaths of 32 people between the collapse of the
Valdez city harbor and docks, and inside the ship that was docked there at the time. Nearby, a tsunami destroyed the village of
Chenega, killing 23 of the 68 people who lived there. The survivors out-ran the wave, climbing to high ground. Post-quake tsunamis severely affected
Whittier,
Seward,
Kodiak, and other Alaskan communities, as well as people and property in
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
,
Washington,
Oregon
Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
, and
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. Tsunamis also caused damage in
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
and
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
. Evidence of motion directly related to the earthquake was also reported from
Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
and
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
.
Geology

On March 27, 1964, at 5:36 p.m. AKST (March 28, at 3:36 a.m.
UTC
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the primary time standard globally used to regulate clocks and time. It establishes a reference for the current time, forming the basis for civil time and time zones. UTC facilitates international communica ...
), a
fault between the
Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...
and
North American
North America is a continent in the Northern and Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea, and to the sou ...
plates
Plate may refer to:
Cooking
* Plate (dishware), broad, mainly flat vessel commonly used to serve food
* Plates, tableware, dishes or dishware used for setting a table, serving food and dining
* Plate, the content of such a plate (for example: ...
ruptured near
College Fjord in Prince William Sound. The
epicenter
The epicenter (), epicentre, or epicentrum in seismology is the point on the Earth's surface directly above a hypocenter or focus, the point where an earthquake or an underground explosion originates.
Determination
The primary purpose of a ...
of the earthquake was north of
Prince William Sound
Prince William Sound ( Sugpiaq: ''Suungaaciq'') is a sound off the Gulf of Alaska on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is located on the east side of the Kenai Peninsula. Its largest port is Valdez, at the southern terminus of the ...
, east of Anchorage and west of Valdez. The focus occurred at a depth of approximately . Ocean floor shifts created large tsunamis (up to in height), which resulted in many of the deaths and much of the property damage.
[M 9.2 - The 1964 Prince William Sound, Alaska Earthquake: Impact](_blank)
USGS Earthquake Hazards Program. Large rockslides were also caused, resulting in great property damage.
Vertical displacement of up to occurred, affecting an area of within Alaska.
Studies of
ground motion
Ground motion is the movement of the Earth’s surface from earthquakes or explosions. Ground motion is produced by seismic waves that are generated by sudden slip on a fault or sudden pressure at the explosive source and travel through the Eart ...
have led to a
peak ground acceleration
Peak ground acceleration (PGA) is equal to the maximum ground acceleration that occurred during earthquake shaking at a location. PGA is equal to the amplitude of the largest absolute acceleration recorded on an wikt:accelerogram, accelerogram at a ...
estimate of 0.14–0.18 ''
g''.
The earthquake was assigned a maximum
Modified Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''). Shaking was felt across much of Alaska and parts of western
Yukon
Yukon () is a Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada, bordering British Columbia to the south, the Northwest Territories to the east, the Beaufort Sea to the north, and the U.S. state of Alaska to the west. It is Canada’s we ...
and
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
in Canada.
The Alaska earthquake was a
subduction zone
Subduction is a geological process in which the oceanic lithosphere and some continental lithosphere is recycled into the Earth's mantle at the convergent boundaries between tectonic plates. Where one tectonic plate converges with a second p ...
(megathrust) earthquake, caused by an oceanic plate sinking under a continental plate. The fault responsible was the
Aleutian Megathrust, a reverse fault caused by a compressional force. This caused much of the uneven ground which is the result of ground shifted to the opposite elevation.
Uplift occurred across from southern Kodiak to Prince William Sound and further east of the sound. The maximum uplift was in Montague Island, where the ground was raised relative to sea level. The uplift also affected Kodiak, Sitkalidak, and Sitkinak islands. Subsidence was observed for from north and west of the sound, in Chugach Mountains, most of Kenai Peninsula, and almost all the Kodiak Island group.
Tsunami
Two types of tsunami were produced by this subduction zone earthquake. There was a tectonic tsunami produced in addition to about 20 smaller and local tsunamis. These smaller tsunamis were produced by submarine and subaerial landslides and were responsible for the majority of the tsunami damage. Tsunami waves were noted in over 20 countries, including Peru, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Japan, Mexico, and in the
continent of Antarctica. The largest tsunami wave was recorded in
Shoup Bay, near
Valdez, Alaska
Valdez ( ; Alutiiq language, Alutiiq: ) is a city in the Chugach Census Area, Alaska, Chugach Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. In 2020, the population of Valdez was 3,985, up slightly from 3,976 in 2010. It is the List of cities in Alask ...
, with a height of about .
Death toll, damage, and casualties

As a result of the earthquake, 139 people are believed to have died: Fifteen died as a result of the earthquake itself and another 124 died from the subsequent tsunamis in Alaska, Oregon, and California.
Five died from the tsunami in
Oregon
Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
,
and 13 died from the tsunami in
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, mostly in or near
Crescent City.
Property damage was estimated at $116 million
($ million in dollars).
Anchorage area
Most damage occurred in Anchorage, northwest of the epicenter. Anchorage was not hit by tsunamis, but
downtown
''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...
Anchorage was heavily damaged, and parts of the city built on sandy bluffs overlying "
Bootlegger Cove clay
Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolinite, ). Most pure clay minerals are white or light-coloured, but natural clays show a variety of colours from impuriti ...
" near
Cook Inlet
Cook Inlet (; Sugpiaq language, Sugpiaq: ''Cungaaciq'') stretches from the Gulf of Alaska to Anchorage, Alaska, Anchorage in south-central Alaska. Cook Inlet branches into the Knik Arm and Turnagain Arm at its northern end, almost surrounding ...
, most notably the Turnagain neighborhood, suffered
landslide
Landslides, also known as landslips, rockslips or rockslides, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, mudflows, shallow or deep-seated slope failures and debris flows. Landslides ...
damage. The neighborhood lost 75 houses in the landslide, and the destroyed area has since been turned into
Earthquake Park.
The
Government Hill school suffered from the
Government Hill landslide, leaving it in two jagged, broken pieces. Land overlooking the
Ship Creek valley near the
Alaska Railroad
The Alaska Railroad is a Class II railroad that operates freight and passenger trains in the state of Alaska. The railroad's mainline runs between Seward, Alaska, Seward on the southern coast and Fairbanks, Alaska, Fairbanks, near the center of ...
yards also slid, destroying many acres of buildings and city blocks in downtown Anchorage. Most other areas of the city were only moderately damaged. The concrete control tower at
Anchorage International Airport collapsed, killing the controller on the top floor, as well as trapping two cooks on the first floor, who were later rescued.
One house on W. 10th Avenue suffered peripheral damage, but only one block away the recently completed (and still unoccupied) Four Seasons Building on Ninth Avenue collapsed completely, with the concrete elevator shafts sticking up out of the rubble like a seesaw.
The hamlets of
Girdwood and
Portage
Portage or portaging ( CA: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a '' ...
, located southeast of central Anchorage on the
Turnagain Arm
Turnagain Arm (Denaʼina language, Dena'ina: ''Tutl'uh'') is a waterway into the northwestern part of the Gulf of Alaska. It is one of two narrow branches at the north end of Cook Inlet, the other being Knik Arm. Turnagain is subject to climate e ...
, were destroyed by subsidence and subsequent tidal action. Girdwood was relocated inland and Portage was abandoned. About of the Seward Highway sank below the high-water mark of Turnagain Arm; the highway and its bridges were raised and rebuilt in 1964–66.
Elsewhere in Alaska

Most coastal towns in the Prince William Sound,
Kenai Peninsula
The Kenai Peninsula ( Dena'ina: ''Yaghenen'') is a large peninsula jutting from the coast of Southcentral Alaska. The name Kenai (, ) is derived from the word "Kenaitze" or "Kenaitze Indian Tribe", the name of the Native Athabascan Alaskan tribe ...
, and
Kodiak Island
Kodiak Island (, ) is a large island on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska, separated from the Alaska mainland by the Shelikof Strait. The largest island in the Kodiak Archipelago, Kodiak Island is the second largest island in the Un ...
areas, especially the major ports of
Seward,
Whittier and
Kodiak were heavily damaged by a combination of seismic activity,
subsidence
Subsidence is a general term for downward vertical movement of the Earth's surface, which can be caused by both natural processes and human activities. Subsidence involves little or no horizontal movement, which distinguishes it from slope mov ...
, post-quake tsunamis and/or earthquake-caused
fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a fuel in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products.
Flames, the most visible portion of the fire, are produced in the combustion re ...
s. Valdez with 32 dead was not totally destroyed, but after three years, the town relocated to higher ground west of its original site. Some
Alaska Native
Alaska Natives (also known as Native Alaskans, Alaskan Indians, or Indigenous Alaskans) are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples of Alaska that encompass a diverse arena of cultural and linguistic groups, including the I ...
villages, including
Chenega and
Afognak, were destroyed or damaged. The earthquake caused the
ballistic missile
A ballistic missile is a type of missile that uses projectile motion to deliver warheads on a target. These weapons are powered only during relatively brief periods—most of the flight is unpowered. Short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM) typic ...
detection radar of
Clear Air Force Station to go offline for six minutes, the only unscheduled interruption in its operational history. Near
Cordova, the
Million Dollar Bridge crossing the
Copper River also suffered damage, with Span #4 slipping off its pylon and collapsing. The community of
Girdwood was also confined to the southern side of the Seward Highway when water rushed into Turnagain Arm and flooded or destroyed any buildings left standing to the north of the highway. Only the ground immediately along the highway and that on the north side of the road dropped, prompting geologists to speculate that Girdwood may rest upon an ancient cliff face covered by thousands of years of sediment and glacial deposits.
Canada
A wave reached
Prince Rupert, British Columbia
Prince Rupert is a port city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is located on Kaien Island near the Alaskan panhandle. It is the land, air, and water transportation hub of British Columbia's North Coast, and has a population of 12, ...
, just south of the
Alaska Panhandle
Southeast Alaska, often abbreviated to southeast or southeastern, and sometimes called the Alaska(n) panhandle, is the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Alaska, bordered to the east and north by the northern half of the Canadian provi ...
, about three hours after the earthquake. The tsunami then reached
Tofino
Tofino ( , Nuu-chah-nulth language, Nuu-chah-nulth: ''Načiks'') is a town of approximately 2,516 residents on the west coast of Vancouver Island in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia. The District ...
, on the exposed west coast of
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest ...
, and traveled up a
fjord
In physical geography, a fjord (also spelled fiord in New Zealand English; ) is a long, narrow sea inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Antarctica, the Arctic, and surrounding landmasses of the n ...
to hit
Port Alberni
Port Alberni () is a city located on Vancouver Island in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The city lies within the Alberni Valley at the head of the Alberni Inlet, Vancouver Island's longest inlet. Port Alberni currently has a total popu ...
twice, washing away 55 homes and damaging 375 others. The towns of
Hot Springs Cove
Hot Springs Cove, formerly Refuge Cove, is an unincorporated settlement on Sydney Inlet on West Coast of Vancouver Island. It is located on the west side of the Openit Peninsula in the western Clayoquot Sound
Clayoquot Sound is located on ...
,
Zeballos, and
Amai also saw damage. The damage in British Columbia was estimated at CA$10 million ($ in Canadian dollars or $ in US dollars).
Elsewhere

Ten people were killed by the tsunami in
Crescent City, California
Crescent City ( Tolowa: ''Taa-’at-dvn''; Yurok: ''Kohpey''; Wiyot: ''Daluwagh'') is the only incorporated city in Del Norte County, California, of which it is also the county seat. The city is on the North Coast of California and had a tota ...
, and one other man was killed near
Requa, California after being swept out to sea while fishing in the
Klamath River
The Klamath River (Karuk language, Karuk: ''Ishkêesh'', Klamath language, Klamath: ''Koke'', Yurok language, Yurok: ''Hehlkeek 'We-Roy'') is a long river in southern Oregon and northern California. Beginning near Klamath Falls, Oregon, Klama ...
.
Four children were killed while camping with their parents on the Oregon coast at
Beverly Beach State Park.
An additional death that is sometimes attributed to the tsunami took place in
Bolinas, California; a fisherman wading into a seaside channel at Duxbury Point was swept into the ocean by a strong surge that took place 13 hours after the initial tidal surge.
article continued
Crescent City was particularly hard-hit, with 30 blocks destroyed, representing half of the city's waterfront business district. The total damage to Crescent City was estimated at $7.4 million
($76 million in 2025 dollars). Other coastal towns and harbors in the
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...
,
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, and
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
were damaged, often extensively. Damage to harbors and boats occurred as far south as
Long Beach
Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...
.
Effects of the earthquake were even noted as far east as
Freeport, Texas
Freeport is a city in Brazoria County, Texas, United States, located on the Gulf of Mexico, founded in 1912. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city population was 10,696, down from 12,049 in 2010, where Hispanic (U.S. ...
, where tide gauges recorded waves similar to
seismic surface waves.
Seiches were detected in wells in countries around the world, including England, Namibia, and Australia.
Aftershocks
There were hundreds of
aftershocks in the first weeks following the main shock. In the first day alone, eleven major aftershocks were recorded with a magnitude greater than 6.0. Nine more struck over the next three weeks. In all, thousands of aftershocks occurred in the months following the quake, and smaller aftershocks continued to strike the region for more than a year.
Recovery efforts
Alaska had never experienced a major disaster in a highly populated area before, and had very limited resources for dealing with the effects of such an event. In Anchorage, at the urging of geologist
Lidia Selkregg, the City of Anchorage and the Alaska State Housing Authority appointed a team of 40 scientists, including geologists, soil scientists, and engineers, to assess the damage done by the earthquake to the city.
[Friedel, Megan K. (2010)]
Guide to the Anchorage Engineering Geology Evaluation Group papers, 1964
([Archived fro
the original
at Wayback Machine.) UAA/APU Consortium Library Archives and Special Collections. HMC-0051. The team, called the Engineering and Geological Evaluation Group, was headed by Ruth A. M. Schmidt, Dr. Ruth A. M. Schmidt, a geology professor at the
University of Alaska Anchorage. The team of scientists came into conflict with local developers and downtown business owners who wanted to immediately rebuild; the scientists wanted to identify future dangers to ensure that rebuilt infrastructure would be safe. The team produced a report on May 8, 1964, just a little more than a month after the earthquake.
[Saucier, Heather (April 2014).]
PROWESS Honors Historic Earthquake Survivor
. (paywalled) ''AAPG Explorer''. American Association of Petroleum Geologists. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
The United States military, which has a large active presence in Alaska, also stepped in to assist within moments of the end of the quake. The
U.S. Army rapidly re-established communications with the lower 48 states, deployed troops to assist the citizens of Anchorage, and dispatched a convoy to Valdez.
[Cloe, John Hail]
"Helping Hand" Military response to Good Friday earthquake
Alaska Historical Society, 3/4/2014 On the advice of military and civilian leaders, President
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...
declared all of Alaska a major disaster area the day after the quake.
The
U.S. Navy and
U.S. Coast Guard deployed ships to isolated coastal communities to assist with immediate needs. Bad weather and poor visibility hampered air rescue and observation efforts the day after the quake, but on Sunday the 29th the situation improved and rescue helicopters and observation aircraft were deployed.
A military airlift immediately began shipping relief supplies to Alaska, eventually delivering of food and other supplies.
Broadcast journalist
Genie Chance assisted in recovery and relief efforts, staying on the
KENI air waves over Anchorage for more than 24 continuous hours as the voice of calm from her temporary post within the Anchorage Public Safety Building.
She was effectively designated as the public safety officer by the city's police chief.
Chance provided breaking news of the catastrophic events that continued to develop following the magnitude 9.2 earthquake, and she served as the voice of the public safety office, coordinating response efforts, connecting available resources to needs around the community, disseminating information about shelters and prepared food rations, passing messages of well-being between loved ones, and helping to reunite families.
[ Accompanying podcast: ]
In the longer term, the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wor ...
led the effort to rebuild roads, clear debris, and establish new townsites for communities that had been completely destroyed, at a cost of $110 million.
[Galvin, Joh]
Great Alaskan Earthquake and Tsunami: Alaska, March 1964
''Popular Mechanics'', July 29, 2007. The
West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center was formed as a direct response to the disaster. Federal disaster relief funds paid for reconstruction as well as financially supporting the devastated infrastructure of Alaska's government, spending hundreds of millions of dollars that helped keep Alaska financially solvent until the discovery of massive oil deposits at
Prudhoe Bay. At the order of the
U.S. Defense Department, the
Alaska National Guard founded the
Alaska Division of Emergency Services to respond to any future disasters.
[
]
See also
* List of earthquakes in Alaska
Notes
References
Citations
General
*
Geology
Seismology and Geodesy
Hydrology
Biology
Oceanography And Coastal Engineering
Engineering
Human Ecology
Summary and Recommendation
External links
M9.2 Alaska Earthquake and Tsunami of March 27, 1964
US Geological Survey, Earthquake Hazards Program
1964 Great Alaska Earthquake
Alaska Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Management.
1964 M9.2 Great Alaska Earthquake
Alaska Earthquake Center, University of Alaska, Fairbanks.
Disaster Pages of Dr. George Pararas-Carayannis
Though the Earth Be Moved: The Alaskan Earthquake
(film), Office of Civil Defense (DOD CD 20-238), 1965. (45 minutes)
Event Bibliography
for 1964 Alaska earthquake, International Seismological Centre
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alaska Earthquake 1964
1964 earthquakes
1964 in Alaska
1964 in Canada
1964 in Hawaii
1964 Alaska
Landslides in the United States
1964 Alaska
1964 Alaska
1960s tsunamis
1964 Alaska
1964 Alaska
Articles containing video clips
1960s landslides
1964 natural disasters
1964 natural disasters in the United States
March 1964 in the United States
1964 in British Columbia
1964 disasters in Canada
History of Anchorage, Alaska