OFFICIAL SOURCES ONLY

Tsunami information

This site does not issue, relay, or interpret tsunami warnings. Tsunami warnings for Alaska are issued by NOAA's National Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer, Alaska, and published at tsunami.gov. Local sirens, radio, and official emergency alerts are the channels that matter in an actual event — not any website's earthquake listings.

What the flag on a listing means

USGS marks some earthquakes with a tsunami flag in its feed. On this site the flag appears only as a link to tsunami.gov. It means USGS's systems noted the event for tsunami evaluation; it does not mean a wave exists, and the absence of a flag does not mean the coast is clear. Only the warning center's products say either of those things.

The standing facts worth knowing before any event

Alaska's deadliest tsunamis have been local: in 1964, waves generated by underwater landslides struck Valdez, Seward, and Whittier within minutes of the shaking — before any warning could arrive. The safety rule the warning center teaches is therefore about the earthquake itself: if you are on the coast and the shaking is strong or long, move to high ground first and check official sources second. Natural signs — the sea suddenly receding or rushing in, a roaring sound — are warnings in themselves.

Official sources: tsunami.gov (National Tsunami Warning Center) · ready.alaska.gov (Alaska Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Management).