50 years later, Good Friday earthquake remembered

MAT-SU — Time erases signs of devastation, but memories are vivid of the terror that struck Alaskans 50 years ago on Thursday.

They are survivors of the March 27, 1964, earthquake, the strongest earthquake ever recorded in North America.

Those who survived and lived through the event will gather throughout Alaska on March 27 to tell their stories of where they were on that Good Friday 50 years ago; the day the planet shuddered and the earth released 200,000 megatons of energy, 400 times the total of all nuclear bombs ever exploded. The earthquake registered a magnitude of 9.2 and lasted more than four minutes.

Mat-Su Borough Mayor Larry DeVilbiss and Valdez Mayor Dave Cobb have signed proclamations designating March 24 to March 30 as “Earthquake Awareness Week.” That’s fitting since 11 percent of the world’s earthquakes and 52 percent of all the earthquakes in the U.S. occur in Alaska, it is fitting that official recognition is given to the importance of being aware and prepared of earthquakes.

The proclamations urge residents to remember those who died and the devastation caused by the 1964 quake, and to join together in meaningful activities such as the Great Alaska ShakeOut, earthquake drills, preparation of emergency plans, and creating 72-hour emergency kits.

In the past, the Polar Bear 4-H Club in Palmer also have written proclamations for “Earthquake Awareness Week,” signed by the governor and mayors throughout Alaska, including one for the 30th and 40th anniversaries of the Good Friday earthquake. For more than 20 years, the Polar Bear 4-H Club taught the public about earthquake awareness and emergency preparedness and how to make 72-hour kits.

Club leader Barbara Adams, a survivor of the 1964 quake, saw the need for a community service project where youth could teach their peers and adults about earthquakes in Alaska, how to prepare for them and other emergencies. For its public safety efforts, the club has received many national awards and recognition, including a citation from the Alaska Legislature honoring the Polar Bear 4-H Club.

Adams was in the eighth grade at Wendler Jr. High School and was headed to Fort Richardson to see the movie ‘The Sword in the Stone’ on March 27, 1964, when the quake ocked Alaska.

“We never made it there, and when we got home we saw my mother’s good English bone china on the floor, right where my brother Dale had been studying, but he got up to check on my baby sister, Marlene,” Adams recalls.

At the time, her family lived on East 20th in City View. Now Adams lives in Wasilla with her husband, Gary Adams, who also is a quake survivor.

Even after 50 years, the 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake remains the world’s second largest recorded earthquake. It was felt across more than 500,000 square miles, causing tsunamis and land to rise and fall as much as 13 feet, resulting in much destruction, including 115 deaths in Alaska and 16 in Oregon and California.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, for two weeks the entire planet vibrated like a giant gong as the seismic waves circled the globe, tsunamis struck not only the coast of Alaska, but the coast of Oregon, Washington and even Hawaii and Japan. The quake altered more of the earth’s crust than any other earthquake on record.

Anyone is welcome to join with the survivors as they commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Alaska earthquake at the Anchorage Museum at 5 p.m., March 27 with state and local officials and community leaders to recall the destruction wrought by the earthquake and the resilience of Alaskans who lived here. A lecture follows at 6 p.m. about the effects of the earthquake by Georg Plafker, geologic hazard consultant and U.S. Geological Survey and volunteer scientist emeritus.

Several events are planned Thursday to mare the 50th anniversary of the earthquake:

• The Alaska Experience Theatre will premier the new “1964 Earthquake Experience” film at noon.

• The world’s largest earthquake drill, dubbed “The Great Alaska Shakeout,” is at 1:36 p.m.

• A 1964 Earthquake Commemorative Event to honor survivors of the earthquake and tsunami at the Anchorage Museum is from 5 to 7 p.m. The museum’s 1964 earthquake exhibit will also be on display April through September. Overflow crowds will be re-routed to the Egan Civic and Convention Center, 555 W. 5th Ave., to view proceedings via teleconference.

Barbara Adams is a Wasilla resident and survivor of the 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake.

Some dates hold so much historical and personal significance, remembering where you were at the time of the event becomes ingrained in our memories. The Nov. 22, 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy is one such date, as is Sept. 11, 2001. In Alaska, March 27, 1964 marks one of the most terrifying and significant natural disasters in the state’s history, the Great Alaska Earthquake.

Measuring a magnitude of 9.2, the quake still remains the second largest recorded earthquake in history and accounted for 115 deaths in the state.

With Thursday being the 50th anniversary of the 1964 earthquake, we want to know where were you? Are you a survivor of the event, and if so, what do you remember about that day?

Share your experiences. Visit the Frontiersman on Facebook — Facebook.com/Frontiersman — and tell us where you were and what you remember about the shakeup. Then, look for a special anniversary retrospective in Sunday’s print edition sharing your stories of survival and perseverance.