By Yereth Rosen
ANCHORAGE (Reuters) - Tsunami alerts were lifted on Tuesday for the U.S. West Coast and western Canada after a magnitude-7.9 earthquake struck in the Gulf of Alaska, sending the state's coastal residents inland to seek shelter from possible tidal waves.
In Alaska, people packed into high schools and other evacuation centres after the quake hit shortly after midnight local time (0900 GMT).
Officials had warned residents as far south as San Francisco to be ready to evacuate coastal areas but by 5:15 a.m. PST (1315 GMT) the U.S. National Weather Service had lifted all tsunami advisories, watches and warnings for California, Oregon Washington and Alaska. Canadian officials lifted one for coastal British Colombia.
In Alaska, residents gathered in shelters on Kodiak Island, the closest land point to the temblor, around 160 miles (250 km) southeast of Chiniak, Alaska, at a depth of 25 km - considered shallow but with broader damage - according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
ANCHORAGE (Reuters) - Tsunami alerts were lifted on Tuesday for the U.S. West Coast and western Canada after a magnitude-7.9 earthquake struck in the Gulf of Alaska, sending the state's coastal residents inland to seek shelter from possible tidal waves.
In Alaska, people packed into high schools and other evacuation centres after the quake hit shortly after midnight local time (0900 GMT).
Officials had warned residents as far south as San Francisco to be ready to evacuate coastal areas but by 5:15 a.m. PST (1315 GMT) the U.S. National Weather Service had lifted all tsunami advisories, watches and warnings for California, Oregon Washington and Alaska. Canadian officials lifted one for coastal British Colombia.
In Alaska, residents gathered in shelters on Kodiak Island, the closest land point to the temblor, around 160 miles (250 km) southeast of Chiniak, Alaska, at a depth of 25 km - considered shallow but with broader damage - according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
