FACT CHECK: Does This Video Show An Earthquake In Alaska In July 2021?

Brad Sylvester | Fact Check Editor

A video shared on Facebook purportedly shows the inside of a home during the 8.2 magnitude earthquake that happened in Alaska on July 28.

Facebook/Screenshot

Verdict: False

The video actually shows an earthquake in Alaska in 2018.

Fact Check:

An 8.2 magnitude earthquake struck Alaska’s coast on Wednesday night, and was the strongest earthquake the state has experienced since 1964, according to CNN. The earthquake was felt throughout the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island, and a tsunami warning was issued for Alaska and Hawaii, but both were later cancelled, the outlet reported.

Now, a video on Facebook claims to show footage taken inside a home as the earthquake struck, causing the house to shake. “Earthquake in Alaska Peninsula magnitude 8.2 (July 29, 2021)” reads the 16-second video’s title. (RELATED: Does This Image Show A Two-Story House Caught In A Landslide?)

The footage is not, however, from the recent Alaskan earthquake. An internet search of keywords turned up a tweet from November 2018 showing the same video.

#akearthquake #Earthquake .@Ch2KTUU just a little bit shaken this morning,” reads the tweet’s caption.

The user clarified in the replies of the tweet that he owned the video, which was later shared by meteorologists and news stations such as KTOO, KING 5 and KGW 8. The video shows a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck north of Anchorage, Alaska, on Nov. 30, 2018, according to the news reports. The earthquake caused major damage to infrastructure, but there were no fatalities, NBC News reported.

The Sun posted a video on its YouTube channel July 29 showing genuine footage from the recent earthquake in Alaska.

Brad Sylvester

Fact Check Editor
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