AllMovie

This series from the History Channel explores some of the most dangerous and deadly natural disasters of all time, including this episode on the deadly 1964 earthquake in Alaska. Even though Alaska sits in the "ring of fire," which scientists named for an area in the Pacific Ocean that has a higher propensity for geologic activity, the state was not prepared for one of the worse quakes to ever rock America. For five full minutes, early in the evening, the ground shook and buckled and buildings and homes were damaged or collapsed. At the end, the quake measured 9.2 on the Richter scale and caused many to lose their lives and become homeless. Interviews with survivors of this earthquake talk about their experiences and how it took years to rebuild the physical destruction, but how the emotional destruction was beyond repair. There is news footage and photographs of some of the wreckage and scientists talk about how Alaska has prepared itself in case another quake strikes again.