A massive 7.0 earthquake rocked Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and nearby Anchorage, the state’s most populated city, at 8:30 a.m. Alaskan Standard Time (12:30 p.m. EST). The National Weather Service put out a tsunami warning for parts of coastal Alaska, but gave the all-clear at 10:30 a.m.
There are reports on social media of widespread power outages, evacuations and impacts on stores, homes and other buildings. Employees working in the air traffic tower at the Anchorage Airport were reportedly evacuated while the tower was being inspected for damage.
Elmendorf is home to thousands of military personnel and their families, and is host to F-22 Raptors assigned to the Pacific Air Forces, U.S. Army Alaska and the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, among many other units.
The epicenter of the earthquake was about 40 miles northeast of the base, near Palmer Alaska, the National Weather Service said,
A spokesperson for the Air Force said it was still trying to get a damage assessment from Elmendorf. The images coming from Elmendorf and other locations in Alaska were being broadcast through social media as the main TV networks there appeared to be temporarily down.
This story is developing and will be updated.
Tara Copp is a Pentagon correspondent for the Associated Press. She was previously Pentagon bureau chief for Sightline Media Group.
