The home of former Alaska governor and vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin has been damaged in an earthquake that shook the state on Friday.
The quake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.0 struck near Anchorage at 8.29am local time and was felt up to 400 miles from the epicenter, triggering rock slides and alarming residents who took cover under tables and desks.
Palin took to Twitter to ask for prayers for the state in the aftermath of the earthquake.
‘Our family is intact – house is not… I imagine that’s the case for many, many others. So thankful to be safe; praying for our state following the earthquake,’ she wrote.
The Palin family compound is located about 44 miles northeast of Anchorage and less than 30 miles from the epicenter in Wasilla on the banks of Lucile Lake.
Palin later shared a video of her parents’ home, which shows the kitchen and living room with broken items scattered all over the floors and counters.
She wrote in the caption: ‘My parent’s home in Wasilla is usually in tip top shape. Here it is this morning following the earthquake. The video doesn’t begin to show the scope.’
Sarah Palin’s home was damaged by the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that shook Alaska on Friday
The Palin family compound, which features two houses (pictured), is located in Wasilla, about 30 miles northeast of the earthquake’s epicenter
The former Alaska governor tweeted about the quake Friday afternoon asking for prayers
Palin also shared a clip of her parents’ home in Wasilla that was left in disarray after the quake
In the video caption she wrote: ‘My parent’s home in Wasilla is usually in tip top shape. Here it is this morning following the earthquake. The video doesn’t begin to show the scope.’
The property has one two story, 3,400-square-foot home built in 2002 and another even larger mansion right next door erected in 2010.
The first home was valued at $550,000 for tax purposes in 2008.
Palin and her husband Todd also own two cabins on a remote lake in Denali State Park, about 130 miles from Anchorage.
The former governor’s daughters also posted about the quakes on their Instagram stories.
Bristol Palin wrote: ‘Just sick I’m not in Alaska to help my family and friends with the aftermath of the massive earthquake they had this morning, sending all the prayers to everyone affected.’
Willow Palin wrote: ‘Our house is a mess but our family is safe, very shook up!! That was the scariest couple minutes of my life.’
The former governor’s daughters Bristol and Willow also posted about the quakes on their Instagram stories. Bristol’s message is shown left and Willow’s is right
A tsunami warning was initially issued and expected to effect Alaska’s Cook Inlet and the Kenai Peninsula.
Officials monitored gauges to see if any underwater landslides would generate tsunami waves. There were none and the warning was then cancelled.
The Anchorage Office of Emergency Management is urging people to find shelter.
‘I could tell this was bigger than anything I’d been in before, and it wasn’t going to stop, resident Phillip Peterson said to CNN.
He was in a multistory building in downtown Anchorage that started to suddenly sway when the shake temblor hit, causing roof tiles to fall in.
‘I just jumped under my desk and had to ride it out,’ he added.
The quake was so strong it cracked buildings and knocked local news station KTUU off air.
An exit ramp on the Minnesota Drive highway crumbled in the quake, leaving a car stranded in the destroyed road.
Power outages, floods from water main breaks, rock slides, and closed roads were reported in the quake, according to Geek Wire.
Quake damage is seen inside a store in Anchorage, which is seven miles from the epicenter
Cabinets in an Anchorage home shook open during the quake, causing dishes to fall and break
A newsroom is seen in disarray after the tremors at around 8.30am local time on Thursday
Shocking images on social media show people hiding under desks as their rooms shake, groceries tumbling off of their shelves at local markets, and roads ripped apart by the natural disaster.
It’s not yet clear if there are any deaths or injuries.
At least eight aftershocks rippled through the city after the earthquake hit, the largest one measuring 5.8 magnitude in Anchorage.
According to the NOAA alert, ‘for other US and Canadian Pacific coasts in North America, the level of tsunami danger is being evaluated.’
Alaska averages 40,000 earthquakes per year, which is more large quakes than the other 49 states of the US combined.
Southern Alaska is particularly vulnerable to earthquakes as it’s located directly above tectonic plates sliding past each other.
The strongest earthquake in US history took place in Alaska in March 27, 1964 when a 9.2 earthquake devastated the region then triggered a deadly tsunami that killed 130 people.
The earthquake could be felt 400 miles outside the epicenter, according to geologists