Campus Alert Archive
Kodiak College

12:31 AM Sirens on Kodiak Island: Gulf of Alaska 7.9 Earthquake Sends a Community College Into the Night

AKearthquakeemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

At 12:31 AM AKST on January 23, 2018, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck in the Gulf of Alaska approximately 175 miles southeast of Kodiak Island, triggering an immediate Tsunami Warning for coastal Alaska communities. Sirens activated within minutes across Kodiak, and hundreds of residents evacuated to local schools used as shelters, as Kodiak College -- a waterfront campus community -- followed civil defense evacuation orders. A small tsunami surge of less than one foot was observed in Kodiak; the warning was cancelled approximately three hours after issuance with no injuries reported.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Kodiak College
Community College · AK
~1,200 studentsUA Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTSiren
Approximate reconstruction363 chars
TSUNAMI WARNING. TSUNAMI WARNING. This is the National Tsunami Warning Center. A Tsunami Warning is in effect for coastal Alaska following a large earthquake. Move to high ground or inland immediately. Do not wait for an official announcement to evacuate. Do not go to the beach or coastal areas. Tsunami waves may continue for many hours after the first arrival.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The M7.9 earthquake struck at 12:31 AM AKST (09:31 UTC) on January 23, 2018; the Tsunami Warning was issued within four minutes by NOAA's National Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer, Alaska
Kodiak Island residents were awakened by warning sirens at approximately 12:35 AM AKST -- a middle-of-the-night evacuation in January in Alaska, with temperatures well below freezing
Kodiak College's campus includes buildings in lower-elevation areas of the city of Kodiak, which sit within the designated tsunami evacuation zone
UPDATEPush
Approximate reconstruction407 chars
UA Alert: Kodiak College campus is evacuated due to the Tsunami Warning issued for coastal Alaska. A 7.9 magnitude earthquake has occurred in the Gulf of Alaska. All campus facilities are closed. Students and employees should proceed to higher ground per Kodiak Island civil defense instructions. Local schools are open as evacuation shelters. Do not return to low-lying areas until the all-clear is issued.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The University of Alaska system's UA Alert platform serves all UA campuses including Kodiak College; mobile push notifications were the primary modern notification channel by 2018
Hundreds of Kodiak residents gathered at the local high school used as an evacuation shelter -- Kodiak College students and staff were among those evacuating in below-freezing January temperatures
The USGS and Alaska Earthquake Center rapidly analyzed the earthquake mechanism and determined it was a strike-slip fault -- a type less likely to generate a major tsunami than a megathrust rupture
ALL CLEARPush
Approximate reconstruction371 chars
UA Alert All-Clear: The Tsunami Warning for coastal Alaska has been cancelled by the National Tsunami Warning Center. A small wave surge of less than one foot was recorded in Kodiak. There are no reports of significant damage or injuries. Kodiak College campus is open and residents may return to low-lying areas. Monitor local civil defense for any remaining advisories.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The tsunami warning was cancelled approximately three hours after issuance -- the middle-of-the-night timing meant the all-clear was issued before dawn in Alaska
The small surge recorded in Kodiak (less than one foot) contrasted sharply with the scale of the earthquake; seismologists noted the M7.9 strike-slip mechanism generated far less tsunami potential than a comparable megathrust event
The event became a significant data point for tsunami warning system improvements: NOAA faced criticism for the decision to issue a full Tsunami Warning for a strike-slip earthquake, prompting policy reviews
Context

Background

Kodiak College is a community college campus in the city of Kodiak on Kodiak Island, Alaska -- one of the most seismically and tsunami-active communities in the United States. Kodiak Island was devastated by the 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake and tsunami, when wave runup of up to 30 feet struck the island and destroyed much of the waterfront. At 12:31 AM AKST on January 23, 2018, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck in the Gulf of Alaska approximately 175 miles southeast of the island. NOAA's National Tsunami Warning Center issued a Tsunami Warning four minutes later, and Kodiak's civil defense sirens began blaring in the middle of the night. Hundreds of residents evacuated to local schools serving as shelters -- the evacuation was orderly, drawing on extensive community preparedness built since 1964. Kodiak College, located in lower-elevation areas of the city, evacuated per civil defense orders. The actual tsunami surge recorded in Kodiak measured less than one foot. NOAA cancelled the warning approximately three hours after it was issued, and no injuries were reported anywhere in Alaska. The event later prompted scientific and policy discussion about tsunami warning criteria for strike-slip earthquakes, which generate significantly less ocean displacement than megathrust events of comparable magnitude. The January 2018 Gulf of Alaska earthquake is now part of Kodiak College's emergency preparedness training as an example of a successful middle-of-the-night mass evacuation.
Analysis

Key Findings

The M7.9 strike-slip mechanism generated far less tsunami energy than the warning threshold implied -- a finding that prompted NOAA review of decision criteria for strike-slip events
Kodiak Island's deep institutional memory of the catastrophic 1964 tsunami produced high community compliance with the 12:35 AM evacuation order despite the below-freezing January conditions
The middle-of-the-night timing (warning at 12:35 AM AKST, all-clear by ~3:30 AM) tested campus emergency notification infrastructure during a period when most channels have reduced staffing
The event illustrated that for coastal Alaska campuses, tsunami warnings are a recurring operational reality that shapes institutional emergency planning in ways not applicable to mainland U.S. institutions
Outcome
No injuries or damage at Kodiak College. Tsunami warning cancelled approximately three hours after issuance. Actual surge in Kodiak measured less than one foot. Community evacuation to schools and higher ground was well-executed.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Source
    2018 Gulf of Alaska earthquake (Wikipedia)
    en.wikipedia.org
  2. Official
    January 23, 2018 M7.9 Gulf of Alaska Earthquake and Tsunami (USGS)
    usgs.gov
  3. News
    Tsunami prompts hundreds of Alaskans to evacuate to higher ground (Alaska Public Media)
    alaskapublic.org
  4. Official
    Tsunami observations from the Offshore Kodiak earthquake (Alaska Earthquake Center)
    earthquake.alaska.edu
  5. News
    Kodiak residents heed tsunami warning (Alaska Sea Grant)
    alaskaseagrant.org
Tags
tsunamiearthquakealaskakodiakgulf-of-alaskacommunity-collegemiddle-of-nightcivil-defensethin-state-akua-alertstrike-slip
Added June 2026Updated June 2026Via ingestion