A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck Northern California
A powerful earthquake in Northern California has left thousands without power and caused some damage to roads and homes, officials said. Only one death and two injuries were reported after the 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck early Tuesday morning. (Dec. 20)
AP
At least two people were killed and 11 injured after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck northern California early Tuesday, local officials said.
The quake, the strongest the region has seen in years, damaged infrastructure and knocked out power to tens of thousands of homes and businesses around Humboldt County, about 250 miles north of San Francisco.
The Humboldt County of Sharif Office “Two people died as a result of medical emergencies during and/or following the earthquake,” it said.
Tuesday’s fatalities marked the first deaths since an earthquake in California killed one person in 2019. 7.1 magnitude earthquake hits Ridgecrest In the northern Mojave Desert region of California.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck at 2:34 a.m. at a depth of 16 miles in the Pacific Ocean, 7½ miles west of Ferndale. The city is about 19 miles south of Eureka near the California and Oregon state line.
A damaged bridge in Ferndale has been closed, state officials said.
The The USGS warned of “multiple” aftershocksIncluding some that can reach magnitude 4 on the Richter scale. More than two dozen aftershocks have been reported. USGS website, Most of them were below size 4.
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How far was the earthquake felt?
The earthquake was felt as far east as Redding, California. Approximately 160 miles east of Ferndale, and as far south as the Bay Area, according to Mark Gilarducci, director of the state Office of Emergency Services.
Roads and homes were damaged around Humboldt County, California
Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office declared Reports suggest that houses and roads have been damaged across the district, which has a population of approx 136,000 people,
Two injuries have been confirmed, sheriff’s information specialist Samantha Karkas told USA TODAY. Several injuries have been reported but are awaiting confirmation, Carcass said.
Gilarducci said there was at least one structure fire with two homes that had “collapsed foundations” or partially collapsed.
Officials identified a bridge. FernbridgeFerndale’s connection to US 101 sustained enough damage to be closed, according to Tony Tavares, director of the state’s transportation agency.
Victims with confirmed injuries are expected to recover, Carcass said.
Besides Ferndale, most of the destruction occurred in Rio Del, Fortuna and Scotia in the Eel River Valley, he said.
Over 71,000 people in the dark
to 9 a.m. PT, Pacific Gas & Electric Co. Tens of thousands of customers are said to be without electricity in the area. In Humboldt County alone, where Ferndale is located, more than 71,000 people were in the dark.
The city of Eureka set up a “charging center” at the Eureka Municipal Auditorium where residents can charge their devices Tuesday.
It also declared the city’s water supply safe. But it is said that there was a gas leak across the district.
PG&E spokeswoman Mayra Tostado told USA TODAY that the utility has launched its emergency response plan and crews are responding to gas and electrical hazards in Humboldt County.
“Our evaluation could take several days,” Tostado said. “All customers are asked to use extreme caution around heavily damaged buildings.”
An 11 a.m. news conference is scheduled for Governor Gavin Newsoms The office tweeted.
‘I’ve never felt this way in my life’
Diana McIntosh, 69, said she felt shaking inside her apartment building in central Humboldt County.
“It felt like north and south swinging back and forth, and it just kept getting bigger. I heard banging, things crashing, glass breaking,” said McIntosh, who lives alone in her apartment off the freeway near the Pacific Ocean.
McIntosh, who has lived in the Eureka area for 65 years, said it was the biggest earthquake he had ever experienced.
“I was screaming,” she said. “The way it shook… I’ve never felt anything like it in my life.”
McIntosh said that in her home, some furniture was damaged because it was not anchored to the walls.
“My water is brown. No power. It’s 60 degrees in my apartment and dropping,” he said.
A photo posted online by the California Department of Transportation shows state Route 211, which connects Ferndale to US 101, derailed by the quake. Berndale Fire Department said Other roads in the area were also closed due to damage, including the Blue Slide Road, which runs parallel to US 101, a major north-south highway that stretches from Los Angeles to Washington state.
Another area resident, Carolyn Titus of Ferndale, tweeted, “The north/south tremor is very apparent in the fall. This is our coffee station. Sorry for the dark video. Power still out.”
The earthquake was the strongest in recent memory
Tuesday 6.4 Size The most significant earthquake to hit California since July 2019, when a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck the Ridgecrest region of Southern California. According to the State Department of Defense. A magnitude 6.5 earthquake was reported 100 miles away near Ferndale. In 2016.
In Northern California, the last significant earthquake occurred A A 6.2 magnitude earthquake occurred in the sea in the Cape Mendocino area in December 2021.
Tuesday’s quake A 3.6-magnitude earthquake struck the San Francisco Bay Area at 3:39 a.m. Saturday, waking thousands of people and causing little damage.
The quake was centered in El Cerrito, about 16 miles from downtown San Francisco.
It comes in the wake of a magnitude 5.1 earthquake The hustle and bustle of the San Francisco Bay Area in late October. No one was injured. The earthquake occurred on the Calaveras Fault, a branch of the San Andreas Fault Line, one of the eight major faults in the Bay Area.
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What was the largest earthquake in American history?
The largest earthquake in modern history occurred on March 27, 1964 in Prince William Sound, Alaska with a magnitude of 9.2.
According to the USGSThe quake started about 15½ miles below the surface, with its epicenter about 6 miles east of the mouth of College Fjord and 75 miles east of Anchorage.
It was the second largest earthquake ever recorded after the 9.5 magnitude earthquake in Chile in 1960.
Contributed by: Associated Press
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