SAN FRANCICO (KCBS RADIO) – Thousands of Northern California residents are grappling with damage after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Humboldt County Tuesday morning.
The quake struck at 2:34 a.m. about a dozen miles off the coast of Humboldt County, which lies 250 miles north of San Francisco. The shakes were strong enough to crack roads, damage a bridge and even knock some buildings off their foundations.
"Pretty much the entire county is without power right now," Samantha Karges with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office told KCBS Radio. "PG&E is actively working on that. We don’t have an estimated time of restoration, it's cold outside up here, so definitely people are trying to stay warm."
Upwards of 70,000 PG&E customers are without power. There are also reports of gas leaks and fires in the area.
"People are saying that they've experienced up to intensity seven, even as far out as 50, 72, etc… kilometers. This is definitely intense and so the reports that you're hearing for damages are certainly to be expected," U.S. Geological Survey Geophysicist Amy Vaughan told KCBS Radio.
So far, there are two reports of moderate injuries — broken bones and bruises. There have been no fatalities. Despite the intensity, there was no tsunami threat following the quake, according to the National Weather Service.
"I was in bed and everything just started shaking like crazy," one resident from Fortuna recounted to KCBS Radio. "It lasted I guess about 20 to 30 seconds, everything came down off the shelves, all of the power is out here in Fortuna."
"The aftershocks keep coming," Caroline Titus, a reporter in the Humboldt County area, said. "I keep trying to go back to sleep, but they keep waking me up." The largest aftershock had a 4.6 magnitude and struck about five minutes after the original quake.
"We had minor breakage in our home, but nothing substantial," another resident, Mike Goldsby, said. "Up here we have every big piece of furniture and appliance bolted to the wall because of past experiences, but several of those got sort of moved around. Just things like pictures and stuff like that got broken."
In a strange coincidence, Tuesday's earthquake comes exactly one year after a 6.2 magnitude quake struck in roughly the same area. On December 20, 2021 an earthquake hit off the coast of Humboldt County's Cape Mendocino. It caused some minor damage to buildings in the area, but today's quake proved to be much more severe.
A bridge that crosses the Eel River into Ferndale, known as Fernbridge, suffered major damage following the quake. As a result, Caltrans closed State Route 211 and conducted a safety inspection. Fernbridge was built in 1911 and is the longest standing poured concrete bridge in the world.
Blue Slide Road, one of the only alternates to get in and out of Ferndale, has also been closed due to cracks and a potential sinkhole, further isolating the area.
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