One size 6.4 earthquake attack off the northern coast of California was damaged homes, roads and water systems and left tens of thousands of people without electricity.
According to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, at least 11 people were reported injured and two others died from a “medical emergency” that occurred during or shortly after Tuesday morning’s quake.
The quake struck at 2:34 a.m. (10:00 GMT) on Tuesday, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), and was followed by about 80 aftershocks.
Located 215 miles (350km) north of San Francisco and off the coast of Humboldt County, an area known for relatively frequent seismic activity, the latest quake appears to have caused more disruption than others. other games in recent years.
According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire), Tuesday’s quake caused a structural fire, which was quickly extinguished and caused two other buildings to collapse.
The ministry’s dispatchers made 70 emergency calls after the quake, including one report of a trapped person in need of rescue, spokesman Tran Beyea said. know.
Details of casualties related to the quake are sketchy, but one survivor was a child with a head injury and the other was an elderly adult with a broken hip, according to media reports. Local media quoted the sheriff’s office.
The USGS said initial assessment indicated a low chance of casualties, and the National Tsunami Warning Center said there was no tsunami.
Good morning Redwood Coast CA. Did you feel the magnitude 6.4 earthquake about 7.5 miles southwest of Ferndale at 2:34 a.m.? The #ShakeAlert system has been activated. See: https://t.co/zwOapjTWaA pic.twitter.com/eMSUAT3inw
– USGS ShakeAlert (@USGS_ShakeAlert) December 20, 2022
However, the quake cut power to more than 70,000 people in Humboldt County, according to the outage monitoring website, poweroutage.us.
“Power outage across the county. Don’t call 911 unless you have an immediate emergency,” the Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services tweeted.
Local media reported that the quake caused multiple gas leaks, cut power lines and set off at least one building fire in the city of Ferndale.
Small landslides were also reported and at least one road buckled during the quake, followed by dozens of small aftershocks.
CLOSED: CLOSED State Road 211 in Fernbridge, Humboldt County. The bridge is closed while we conduct safety checks due to possible seismic damage. pic.twitter.com/601oOQRz2o
— Caltrans District 1 (@CaltransDist1) December 20, 2022
Humboldt County officials have warned of reports of “widespread damage to roads and homes,” and urged residents to check gas and water pipes for signs of leaks.
Police in Ferndale also moved to close a bridge that the California Highway Patrol reported had cracks following the quake, KRCR-TV reported.
Caroline Titus, a resident of Ferndale, tweeted a video of her darkened home with furniture toppled and dishes smashed.
“Our home is a 140 year old Victorian house. The north/south shaking was very evident in what fell,” she said.
“It’s a big deal,” she added in a follow-up tweet.
Our home is a 140 year old Victorian. The north/south shaking was very evident in what fell. This is our coffee station. Sorry for the dark video. Still no power. #ferndaleca #earthquake pic.twitter.com/md1WKCS58Z
– Caroline Titus (@caroline95536) December 20, 2022
The quake comes after a smaller magnitude 3.6 quake struck about 402km (250 miles) near San Francisco on Saturday.
California is shake often by concussion and seismologist warned that a potentially devastating earthquake could hit the state in the next 30 years.
A 6.7 magnitude earthquake in 1994 in Northridge, northwest of Los Angeles, killed at least 60 people and caused an estimated $10 billion in damage.
The 6.9 magnitude earthquake in San Francisco in 1989 claimed the lives of 67 people.
