Not Such a Good Friday for Alaska

Abstract

This chapter presents a selection of amazing true stories collected through first-time video interviews covering the areas of Seward, Valdez, Cordova, Kodiak, Whittier, and other sites that were the hardest hit by the devastating 1964 Great Alaskan earthquake and tsunami, the second largest earthquake ever recorded. The chapter presents the story of a family hearing the tsunami coming and climbing onto a rooftop that they would ride upslope into the forest and survive. It also provides an account of the waves rolling into Seward and crushing huge oil tanks, with the water covered with oil catching fire and turning into a flaming tsunami. Stories of native fishermen at sea observing strange behavior by marine animals and even cows on Kodiak Island heading up into pasture following the earthquake only to be killed by the tsunami 30 minutes later after they had returned downhill are presented.