Parts of the Kenai Peninsula are no longer under a tsunami watch after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the east coast of Russia. The earthquake struck Tuesday afternoon around 3:30 p.m. Alaska time.
The National Weather Service had initially issued the tsunami watch Tuesday afternoon.
While parts of the Aleutian Chain are under a tsunami warning or advisory, the Kenai Peninsula’s coastal communities are not being asked to evacuate as of 5 p.m.
Brenda Ahlberg is the Kenai Peninsula Borough’s emergency manager. She says Homer and Seward were among the communities potentially affected.
“I was going to say this watch is really just that is, we want folks to be aware of their surroundings, to not go to the shore, to observe a potential tsunami, and to make sure that they are prepared in the event that we need them to take additional actions,” she said.
Ahlberg says it’s important to distinguish between the peninsula’s tsunami watch and tsunami advisories in other parts of the state and country.
She says people should monitor the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Tsunami Warning System for updates.
This story was updated at 6 p.m.
