In the 1964 earthquake (the biggest ever in the US), the entire town of Valdez was destroyed by the earthquake and the resulting tsunami. It is amazing that more people did not die (I believe it was 33), but the damage was devastating. The entire town was moved 4 miles away where it might be safer if another earthquake occurs - but who knows.
Then we went to the Valdez Glacier that carved the valley and created the area where the town is now. The glacier has been receding for years and it is now around a hill, not to be seen from where we were standing. But the lake at the bottom of it is still there, and today it was filled with icebergs.
As we were standing there, we heard a woman talking about the glacier. Apparently just five days ago, a German couple and a friend were kayaking in the lake (a popular thing to do). A guide with kayakers arrived at the lake to find the three German kayakers dead in the lake. It is supposed that they were in the lake when the glacier calved, and either the force of the wave made by the icebergs caused them to tip, or the ice berg actually fell on them. Either way, it is a very sad thing to happen to innocent people who were just outside enjoying nature.
The ice in the lake was beautiful, and the woman there said the lake is quite deep - maybe 700 feet or so. We would have loved to have tried to have seen the tip of the glacier, but after hearing the story of the three, we declined.
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