UPDATE (Sept. 14, 2022, 12:58 p.m.): A third earthquake in the span of just over 17 hours struck the North Bay on Wednesday morning. The 2.7 magnitude earthquake occurred at approximately 11:55 a.m. and was centered about 2.5 miles east of Sonoma. No injuries or damage have been reported.
The original story can be found below:
SANTA ROSA, Calif. (KCBS RADIO) – North Bay residents were given a sharp jolt on Tuesday night when the Bay Area's largest earthquake in three years rattled the region.
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The magnitude 4.4 earthquake – followed quickly by a magnitude 4.3 aftershock – struck at approximately 6:39 p.m. and was centered near northeast Santa Rosa's fountaingrove neighborhood. The shakes were felt as far north as Mendocino County and as a south as Santa Clara County.
Crystal Hagle was shopping on the second floor of a department store when items suddenly dropped from store shelves.
"It felt like the whole building was about to collapse," she told KCBS Radio. "It was crazy."
Brad Sherwood lost his home to the Tubbs fire and said his newly rebuilt house, located not far from the epicenter, rumbled.
"Whole house just shook wildly and made all types of noises we hadn’t heard," he said.
For a community that's been focused on wildfire preparedness, Sherwood called the moment a wake up call to be ready for earthquakes.
"Everything on the walls pretty much came down," he said. "We quickly learned what is earthquake proof and not in our house."
The United States Geological Survey sent out a shake alert warning, which gave some seconds to prepare depending on how close you were to the epicenter.
Robert DeGroot, ShakeAlert Coordinator with the USGS, said in the blink of an eye the system can alert cell phones, slow trains, and close valves automatically.
"This whole process from the earthquake starting deep in the earth to actually making alert information available is about 5 seconds," he explained.
Santa Rosa officials reported most 911 calls were due to gas leaks and broken water lines and power has been restored to about 700 people who went dark. No damage or injuries have been reported.
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