
Residents of the state not recommended to go out when they don't have to drive the vehicle.
A magnitude 7 quake jolted Alaska's largest city on Friday, November 30, collapsing roads, dislodging landslides, cracking water and gas lines and damaging the interiors and exteriors of buildings.
Strong earthquakes are not uncommon in seismically active Alaska but tend to occur in remote, sparsely populated regions.
Anchorage, Alaska was hit by a 7.0 quake Friday morning.
BREAKING: Tsunami Warning for coastal areas of Cook Inlet and southern Kenai Peninsula in Alaska after powerful prelim. magnitude 7.2 natural disaster hits near Anchorage.
People went back inside buildings after the quake but a smaller 5.8 magnitude aftershock a short time later sent them running back into the streets again'.
A tow truck holds a vehicle that was pulled from an off-ramp that collapsed during the natural disaster.
Riekena turned around to calm his son in the back seat and when he looked forward again, the road ahead of him was sinking into the earth. There were cars on the road at the time, but everyone escaped.
"It shook like I have never felt anything shake before", she said.
Police had told residents of the island community of Kodiak to head to higher ground.
Despite the chaos, Anchorage authorities said on Friday night that no fatalities or serious injuries were reported.
Aftershocks Saturday continued to fray nerves, with people worrying about being caught in more massive shakers.
The U.S. Geological Survey says there have been 545 aftershocks, including a 5.7 magnitude shaker that followed Friday's big quake nearly immediately.
By mid-morning, there had been about 550 aftershocks, including 11 with magnitudes of 4.5 or greater, Caruso said. Seismologists predicted many more in the coming days and weeks.
Alaska state seismologist Mike West said Friday's natural disaster was the "most significant" to strike Anchorage since a 9.2-magnitute quake in 1964 that killed 129 people-the most powerful ever recorded in the U.S.
Mr Starling said that at this time of year, the state sees only six hours of daylight: "We're fortunate on timing. this happened just at sunrise".
The USGS initially said it was a 6.7 magnitude quake but reduced it to 6.6. The quake was centred 10 miles northeast of Anchorage, the state's largest city with a population of about 300,000.
Anchorage airport temporarily halted incoming and outgoing flights after the air control tower was evacuated. And the 800-mile Alaska oil pipeline was shut down while crews were sent to inspect it for damage. The epicenter was 7 miles north of Anchorage, and shallow at 27 miles deep.
"The most striking thing about this event was that it was so close to Anchorage", Hayes said.
He said he has spoken to President Donald Trump and the White House has offered to help. The temblor created a powerful back-and-forth sloshing that threw him out of the tub, he said. The boy's fish was on the floor, gasping, its tank shattered. He grabbed it and put it in another bowl.
"It was anarchy", he said.
In Anchorage, many traffic lights are out, contributing to traffic standstills along major roadways. "Everything that's not tied down is broke".
Alaska is no stranger to earthquakes, with its southeastern coastline sitting on the edge of the Pacific and North American tectonic plates.
This photo provided by David Harper shows merchandise that fell off the shelves during the quake.