Alaska hit by 7.9 earthquake; tsunami warning canceled

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A powerful earthquake struck off an island in the Gulf of Alaska, prompting a tsunami threat that sent the state's residents along the southern coast and western Canada fleeing for higher ground just after midnight Tuesday.After a few intense hours, the tsunami warning was canceled, allowing people to return home from shelters. There were no immediate reports of damage, not even on Kodiak Island, the closest land to the epicenter of the magnitude 7.9 quake.For Alaskans