A powerful 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck off the northern California coast, according to the US Geological Survey.
Initially, a tsunami warning was issued for the coasts of northern California and southern Oregon, covering an area with approximately 4.7 million residents. However, the warning has since been lifted.
The earthquake’s epicenter was located near Ferndale, California, a small town in Humboldt County situated about 260 miles (418 km) north of San Francisco.
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services reported that they had not yet received any indications of widespread damage.
Following an earthquake, first responders typically survey buildings and roads to assess damage and evaluate structural integrity.
While the quake does not appear to have caused significant destruction, one Ferndale resident who spoke to the BBC shortly after the event described the scene inside as chaotic. “It looks like a bomb has gone off in every room,” said Olivia Cobian, the innkeeper at the Gingerbread Mansion Inn in Ferndale. She added, “We have huge cast iron fireplaces that have been lifted up and moved over, everything’s fallen over, broken.”
According to poweroutage.us, more than 10,000 people in Humboldt County have been without power since the earthquake struck.
Multiple aftershocks have been reported since the initial tremor, which occurred around 10:44 a.m. local time (18:44 GMT).
Some areas, including the city of Berkeley in northern California, issued evacuation orders due to the potential tsunami threat.
“EVACUATE NOW,” warned an X post from the city. “People in the Tsunami Zone are in IMMEDIATE DANGER and MUST EVACUATE NOW. Stay east of 7th St. This is a lawful order to leave now.”
Kayla Aihara, staying at a hotel in Half Moon Bay, California, received back-to-back alerts about the earthquake and the potential tsunami.
Before the tsunami warning was rescinded, hotel workers instructed her to vacate the gym and move to higher ground as a precaution. Some evacuees gathered outside, while others crowded near the shoreline of the Pacific Coast hotel, watching the waves and waiting for any signs of a tsunami.
More details to follow…
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