A strong earthquake shook Anchorage, Alaska sending people in urban areas feeling for cover and refuge.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the magnitude of the earthquake was 5.4 and it struck about 24 miles from the town of Willow at 11:28 a.m. The epicenter was 58 miles from the state's largest city, Anchorage, where the shaking continued for several moments.

The area experienced aftershocks for about an hour and a half and measured 4.0, the Associated Press reported.