On March 28, 1964, an earthquake of a magnitude of 9.2 hit Prince William Sound, Alaska. It is the largest earthquake to hit the United States. The earthquake and a following tsunami took 128 lives and caused about $311 million in damage. The tsunami took 113 lives and the earthquake took 15. Effects were severe in many towns such as Anchorage, Chitina, Glennallen, Homer, Hope, Kasilof, Kenai, Kodiak, Moose Pass, and others. Anchorage held the most severe damage to property. About 30 blocks of homes and commercial buildings were damaged or destroyed in the downtown area. Many schools and stores were damaged beyond repair. Duration of the shock was about 3 minutes.
Landslides in Anchorage caused heavy damage too. The largest landslide occurred at Turnagain Heights. An area of about 130 acres was demolished by displacements that broke the ground into many deranged blocks that were collapsed and tilted at all angles. This slide destroyed about 75 private houses. Water mains and gas, sewer, telephone, and electrical systems were disrupted throughout the area. Due to the earthquake vertical displacement took place which caused a tsunami. There was no time for warning and within minutes huge tsunami waves destroyed local towns and fishing villages. The tsunami destroyed many towns along the Gulf of Alaska. It left serious damage at Alberni, Canada, along the West Coast of the United States, and in Hawaii. The maximum wave height recorded was 67 meters at Valdez Inlet.
In my opinion, I believe the earthquake didn’t cause as much damage compared to others even though it triggered a tsunami. I would think that with the magnitude of 9.2, the earthquake would have caused much more damage and the cost would be much greater to repair.
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/states/events/1964_03_28.php
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