Anchorage-area businesses and residents are in recovery
mode, four days after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck 7 miles north of Alaska's
largest city.
No deaths were reported in the quake, which took place at
8:29 a.m. on Nov. 30. While the earthquake shook structures as far away as
Fairbanks and the Kenai Peninsula, damage was centered mainly in the Anchorage
and Mat-Su Valley regions of southcentral Alaska.
"We're looking out for our friends and neighbors as
things begin returning to normal," said Visit Anchorage spokesman Jack
Bonney on Tuesday.
While most of the city's attractions, hotels and tours are
resuming normal schedules, cleanup and repair work varies by business.
Travel agents should contact individual properties and operators with reservation
questions.
Most surface streets in Anchorage are now open, though some
lane closures and repair-related delays have impacted traffic across the city.
Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport resumed normal operations on
Friday, a few hours after the earthquake. Passengers are advised to check with
their airline for any unanticipated delays or disruptions.
The Anchorage Museum reopened on Tuesday after a three-day
closure, and the facility is offering free admission and free parking in its
EasyPark garages and surface lots through Dec. 7. Family-friendly movies, games
and activities have been added to the schedule.
The public is welcome to explore all first-floor venues,
including the Discovery Center, atrium, cafe and museum store. Some spaces on
the museum's second floor remain closed. Some ceiling tiles, pipes and flooring
are being replaced in older sections of the facility.
"We take great care to secure the collection and to
plan for possible earthquakes, and this work has paid off," Julie Decker,
Anchorage Museum president and CEO, said in a statement released on Tuesday. "No
one, human or animal, was injured. There was little damage to artwork and
artifacts on view, and remarkably little damage to the building, though much
cleaning and recovery is still to be done. We think we came through this as
well as we could have."
Further afield, Alaska Gov. Bill Walker closed state offices
in Anchorage, Eagle River, Wasilla and Palmer on Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 3 and
4.
The Alaska Department of Transportation & Public
Facilities continues to assess damage and prioritize road repairs throughout
the region.