State officials assess damage at sites near magnitude 8.2 earthquake on Alaska Peninsula

PERRYVILLE, Alaska (KTUU) - The State of Alaska sent a group of officials to assess the damage in the aftermath of the earthquake that rattled the Alaska Peninsula and triggered a tsunami warning for much of the Gulf of Alaska coast late last month.

The damage assessment team consisted of state Lake and Peninsula Borough officials who visited Perryville, Chignik Lagoon and Chignik Bay, according to a Tuesday press release from the Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.

The earthquake struck off the coast of the Alaska Peninsula at 10:15 p.m. on July 28, about 64 miles southeast of Perryville. The U.S. Geological Survey recorded a depth of about 20 miles. Perryville was the community closest to the epicenter of the quake.

Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson officials said in the press release that the team saw a few cracks in the drywall, some cracks in the ground, and that some of the homes had shifted.

The good news is all buildings and homes were in usable condition and there was no visible damage to water or power generation systems.

After the earthquake, according to the release, after receiving orders from local officials, residents in low-lying areas evacuated and decided to head to higher ground based on the violent shaking and risk of a tsunami.

“I’d like to thank local and tribal leaders throughout the region for their calm, effective response to the earthquake and tsunami warning,” said Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Director Bryan Fisher in the press release. “We all feel fortunate that the earthquake was deep enough and far enough that no significant damage occurred.”

There were also no injuries reported.