ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - A small tsunami prompted state and federal officials to warn people in southeast Alaska and down the Canadian coast to take precautions.
The warning was sparked by a strong earthquake Saturday night that shook off the west coast of Canada. The U.S. Geological Survey said the 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit in the Queen Charlotte Islands area, followed by a 5.8-magnitude aftershock several minutes later.
The National Weather Service issued a warning for coastal areas of southeast Alaska including the small community of Craig. The U.S. Coast Guard in Alaska said it's trying to warn everyone with a boat on the water to prepare for a potential tsunami.
The first wave was expected to Craig about 9:10 p.m. local time, but it wasn't expected to be large, about 1-foot.
"That's the predicted arrival time for the first wave, which typically is not the largest but nevertheless we don't expect the maximum wave height to be large," said Bill Knight at the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center.
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