00                  SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 10                                                                   
01 Proclaiming March 27, 2014, to be the Great Alaska Earthquake Remembrance Day.                                          
02 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
03       WHEREAS, on March 27, 1964, at 5:36 p.m. Alaska Standard Time, a magnitude 9.2                                
04 earthquake lasting nearly four minutes struck Alaska; and                                                               
05       WHEREAS the subduction zone earthquake was caused by the rupture of the                                         
06 Aleutian-Alaska megathrust reverse fault between the Pacific and North American plates near                             
07 College Fjord in Prince William Sound; the epicenter was located at Latitude 61.04 North,                               
08 Longitude 147.73 West, at a depth of approximately 15.5 miles, and with an estimated peak                               
09 ground acceleration of 0.14 - 0.18 g; and                                                                               
10       WHEREAS ocean floor shifts created large tsunamis of up to 220 feet, massive                                    
11 underwater landslides, and large rockslides throughout an area of approximately 200,000                                 
12 square miles; and                                                                                                       
13       WHEREAS the powerful earthquake produced liquefaction in the region causing                                     
14 ground fissures and failures, permanently raising some areas near Kodiak by 30 feet and                                 
15 dropping other land near the head of Turnagain Arm by as much as eight feet; and                                        
16       WHEREAS the earthquake was the most powerful recorded earthquake in North                                       

01 America and the second most powerful ever recorded by seismograph; and                                                  
02       WHEREAS as many as 143 deaths and many serious injuries were attributed to the                                  
03 earthquake and the resulting tsunamis and landslides, which also left approximately 2,000                               
04 people homeless; and                                                                                                    
05       WHEREAS among those killed were people who died attempting to save others,                                      
06 including members of an Alaska National Guard flight crew who perished when their aircraft                              
07 crashed off the shores of Valdez during a relief mission; and                                                           
08       WHEREAS as many as 30 square blocks of downtown Anchorage and the Turnagain                                     
09 Heights and Government Hill neighborhoods were destroyed or heavily damaged from the                                    
10 earthquake and landslides; the control tower at Anchorage International Airport collapsed,                              
11 killing one person; nine lives were lost; and many homes, buildings, streets, sidewalks, water                          
12 and sewer mains, telephone and electrical systems, and other infrastructure were damaged or                             
13 destroyed; and                                                                                                          
14       WHEREAS a combination of seismic activity, postquake tsunamis, and fires                                        
15 attributable to the earthquake and tsunamis significantly affected every coastal settlement on                          
16 Prince William Sound, the Kenai Peninsula, and Kodiak Island; and                                                       
17       WHEREAS a massive underwater landslide at Port Valdez and the accompanying                                      
18 tsunamis killed at least 30 people, caused the collapse and destruction of the city harbor and                          
19 docks, set a fuel tank afire, and resulted in almost complete destruction of the town; and                              
20       WHEREAS, in Seward, the ground beneath the port liquefied and two tsunamis                                      
21 struck and washed waves of flaming oil throughout the town; lives were lost, some residential                           
22 areas were lost or damaged, and the port lost its waterfront and industrial area including the                          
23 southern terminus of the Alaska Railroad; and                                                                           
24       WHEREAS, when a 27-foot tsunami hit the village of Chenega, 23 of approximately                               
25 68 residents, including many young children, were killed, and only one building was left                                
26 standing; and                                                                                                           
27       WHEREAS tsunamis washed away the villages of Old Harbor, Afognak, and                                           
28 Kaguyak, along with several remote cabins and some of their occupants; and                                              
29       WHEREAS coastal towns, including Kodiak, Whittier, and Homer, suffered loss of                                  
30 life, loss of their waterfront industries, and loss of their fishing fleets; and                                        
31       WHEREAS the communities of Portage and Girdwood were destroyed and about 20                                     

01 miles of the Seward Highway sank below the high-tide mark of Turnagain Arm; and                                         
02       WHEREAS other Alaska communities and areas of British Columbia, Oregon, and                                     
03 California suffered the effects of the earthquake and tsunamis, and Hawaii and Japan were                               
04 also affected; and                                                                                                      
05       WHEREAS the earthquake caused estimated damages of between $300,000,000 and                                     
06 $500,000,000, the equivalent of between $2,290,000,000 and $3,700,000,000 in 2014 dollars;                              
07 and                                                                                                                     
08       WHEREAS thousands of aftershocks continued to strike the region after the main                                  
09 event; 11 of the aftershocks had a magnitude of 6.0 or greater and occurred on the first day;                           
10 nine more aftershocks of a magnitude of 6.0 or greater occurred over the next three weeks;                              
11 and it was more than a year after the initial earthquake before the aftershocks that occurred                           
12 were no longer measurable; and                                                                                          
13       WHEREAS Alaskans are a special breed of people who, throughout history, have                                    
14 demonstrated tenacity and resilience in times of hardship; and                                                          
15       WHEREAS many professional first responders and ordinary Alaskans risked their                                   
16 lives and personal safety to aid those in need, despite the tremendous dangers posed by                                 
17 aftershocks, accompanying tsunamis, landslides, and the instability of collapsed structures and                         
18 land; and                                                                                                               
19       WHEREAS, in countless situations, neighbors gave shelter to neighbors; villagers                                
20 shared their meager food supplies with each other; business owners donated goods,                                       
21 equipment, and facilities; friends and strangers alike offered comfort; and the students of East                        
22 High School in Anchorage shared their building with rival West High School in Anchorage                                 
23 until West High School could be repaired; and                                                                           
24       WHEREAS Alaskans rallied in the aftermath of the devastation, relocating,                                       
25 rebuilding, and regaining their homes, their businesses, and their lives; and                                           
26       WHEREAS much has been learned about earthquakes and tsunamis and their                                          
27 consequences as a result of this event; the knowledge gained has led to safer construction                              
28 practices, the establishment of early warning systems, and lives saved throughout the world;                            
29 and                                                                                                                     
30       WHEREAS March 27, 2014, is the 50th anniversary of the Great Alaska Earthquake,                                 
31 a momentous event in the history of the state;                                                                          

01       BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature proclaims March 27, 2014, to                                   
02 be the Great Alaska Earthquake Day in recognition of those who lost their lives, suffered                               
03 injuries and losses, came to the rescue in the time of crisis, and participated in the recovery                         
04 and reconstruction of the areas of the state affected by the Great Alaska earthquake and the                            
05 resulting tsunamis.