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Daily Archives: March 27th, 2024

Daily Prompt

What’s something most people don’t understand?

Why our money is so worthless and we can’t afford rent or groceries.

I suggest folks do some research and start figuring this out on their own. Look past the political pundits and inflammatory finger pointing and see how national debt affects our currency and economy. Heavens knows that most of us didn’t really learn this in high school.

Examine how unbridled government spending trickles down to you and me. And really cogitate on what we  can do about it.

What were you doing 60 years ago today?

Today, at 5:36 AKST pm (4:36 AKDST) we Mark the 60th anniversary of the 9.2 magnitude Good Friday earthquake.

131 people lost their lives here in Alaska. 16 people in California and Oregon.

$311 million dollars of damage, in 1964 money, that’s $3,087,314,110 of today’s money (adjusted for the 900% loss in value).

Valdez and Chenega were completely destroyed and a resulting Tsunami of 200 feet high was registered at Shoup Bay near the Valdez Inlet. The surge touched Canada, Hawaii, Japan, and Australia.

The quake registered seismically in nearly every state in the union with the exception of three. Seattle’s space needle wobbled.

4 year old little Dean remembers all the appliances, the wood stove and cabinet contents toppled onto the floor. He also remembers that the snow was gone, an early breakup that year. Funny the things that are left with indelible ink.

There’s still visible scars of that day on the way to Anchorage near Portage, the remnants of the trees killed when the land dropped below the water table. Time takes its toll and Alaska reclaims it’s dead. There are fewer trees standing now than when I first moved here. The little garage that was shuttered after the quake finally fell down a few years back. The landscape is healing, reminders fading. But we must remember.

Sources: History , Must Read Alaska, Oral History of Thelma Barnum & Fred Christoffersen, Dollar Times