Staff, wire reports

UPDATE at 11 a.m.

The tsunami warning issued earlier for the Alaska has been canceled.

Original post:

The National Tsunami Warning Center has issued a tsunami warning for coastal zones of southern Alaska following an earthquake that rocked buildings in downtown Anchorage.

The center said Friday that the warning was in effect for parts of the state's Cook Inlet and the southern Kenai peninsula.

The warning means tsunami waves are expected.

"There's no threat" for Oregon or Washington, said Cory Grogan, a spokesman for the Oregon Office of Emergency Management.

Still, it's a great time to remember the hazard exists, Grogan said. "We need to be prepared here in the Northwest."

Are you prepared? Get your emergency kit ready with our Think Big series

The U.S. Geological Survey initially said it was a 6.7 magnitude earthquake and then reduced that to 6.6.

The quake was centered about 7 miles (12 kilometers) north of Alaska's largest city.

An Associated Press reporter working in downtown Anchorage saw cracks in a 2-story building after the quake. It was unclear whether there were injuries.

People went back inside buildings after the earthquake but a smaller aftershock a short time later sent them running back into the streets again.