1964 Earthquake Stories
From survivors who were living in Anchorage..
Photo by Starr Judkins Lane
After the earthquake. Notice the “Our Town” banner on the left side of the above picture.
March 27, 1964
Were you living in Anchorage or somewhere else in Alaska at 5:36pm, Good Friday, March 27, 1964?
Photo by Helen M. Busy
4th Avenue in Anchorage, following the 1964 quake.
5:36 PM
Alaska has earthquakes. And at 5:36pm on March 27, 1964, when the earth began to shake, little did we know that this one was going to be different… very different.
Take a look at “I’ll Never Forget” by Howard Bolam.
No Place to Hide
Mike of Alaska Stories remembers what it was like.
Take a look at “Alaskan Earthquake; No Place to Hide” by Michael R Dougherty
After the Earthquake
Following the 1964 Great Alaskan Earthquake, the first question people asked each other, was “where were you when the quake struck?”
The answers to that question were often astonishing.
The Fireball XL5 Connection
Remember this wonderful television program?
It had just started playing at 5:30pm on March 27, 1964. 6 minutes later, the television station airing the broadcast, lost power and went off the air.
Take a look at “The Fireball XL5 Connection” and remember.
When we were Children
Many who survived the quake were children or teens, And some have posted their memories on Anchorage Memories.com
Take a look at these stories by 1964 Earthquake Survivors and remember.
The March 27, 1964, Alaskan Earthquake
The 1964 Earthquake was a magnitude 9.2, or 35 times more powerful than the 1902 earthquake in San Francisco.
The shaking lasted nearly 5 minutes.
At the time, estimates of damage were somewhere around $500 million dollars. In today's dollars, we're looking at $4,787,255,806 and some change.
From reading first-hand accounts, written by survivors of the earthquake, you learned what they saw, heard and felt as the shaking continued.
As you learn about this horrific event, it's easy to see how Alaskans responded. They quickly stood up proudly, helped each other and together, they rebuilt Anchorage, the town they love.
Memories of the 1964 Earthquake in Anchorage, Alaska, live on.
Yes, You can Share this Edition
The stories here, deserve to be shared. Your friends and family should know what happened in Alaska on March 27, 1964.
Click below to share this edition.
Connect with Mike and Mary
While the memories of that day are still fresh in our minds, a part of us would rather not post the memories here on the Anchorage Memories Club.
However, many of us went through something extraordinary and our stories are an important part of our memories of living in Anchorage, Alaska and other parts of the state.
Do you have a comment? You can reply to this email. Or you can Contact Us to say, “Yes, I’m a 1964 great Alaskan earthquake survivor.”
Until Next Time
Mike and Mary
Anchorage Memories Club
A friend had just dropped me off at home. As i entered the front door the quake began. I thought from the rumbling and shaking that our oil furnace was getting ready to blow up. My mother yelled at me to get my baby sister who was asleep on the sofa. (My mother had MS so she could not walk very well) Getting to my sister was not easy as i fell a couple of times as the floor was rolling back and forth. I finally made it to the back door with sister in arms to join my mother. We did not know it was not recommended to go outside. I held my mother and sister while we hung on to the beautiful huge tree in our yard. I watched the earth move like it was an incoming tide of water, so eerie. i knew nothing of earthquakes but remembering looking up in the sky for a huge mushroom from a bomb. The reason i did that was that i had read the newspaper earlier where the headlines said "China rattles saber at USA fot being in the gulf of Tonkin with warships." I thought China had declared war on us. Hey, i was a young kid! Our neighbor Shirley who was in her yard yelled out it was an earthquake. That night there were several quakes off and on as i slept with one eye open. It was amazing how Alaskans rebuilt and helped one another. I would drive by my old home ever so often and look at that old tree and remember how it was. Last summer i went by and someone had cut it down! I have to admit tears fell down my face.
Where was I when the earthquake hit? I was in my hometown of Berkley, MI, most likely getting ready for bed. It wasn’t until our family’s Easter Sunday Brunch when the topic came up. Alaska seemed so far away, but the stories coming over the wires about the damage and destruction were somehow etched into my mind. It seemed so profound to me that this awful event occurred in conjunction with the day we Catholics and other Christians commemorated the death of Jesus. How was I to know that 3 years later I would have a first hand view of nature’s power that day, while walking about Earthquake park, which was a short distance from my newly rented little house in Spenard. These days, the clay upheavals at the park are worn down and hidden by tall trees, but my memories are clear. They include the memory of the fellow teacher who cried at the mention of the quake, because she couldn’t get to her children, not knowing if they were safe, or the secretary who spoke of sweeping up her grandmother’s shattered china from her dining room floor, and being grateful she was alive. My late husband, Bob spoke of his experience that day and of the weeks after, as Alaskans came together, cleared up the mess and rebuilt the towns and cities (his photographic images are archived at UAA library). Today, the survivors and their stories are a living testimony of the spirit of Alaska at its best. You are the reason why Alaska , after 50+ years is still my home. I salute all of you!