An earthquake registering 6.4-magnitude rocked the coastline along Northern California early on Tuesday morning, December 20. So far, only two injuries have been reported but nearly 70,000 residents lost power. The Ferndale bridge is closed for damage inspection, closing Highway 211 just west of Highway 101.
Earthquake near Eureka
According to U.S. Geological Survey officials, an earthquake was recorded around 2:40 a.m. centered 22.7 miles southwest of the city of Eureka in Humboldt County.
Preliminary figures put the main quake at 6.4-magnitude. That was followed by a swarm of aftershocks “ranging in magnitude from 2.6 to 3.9.” There was no tsunami warning issued.
Electricity remains down across Humboldt County, which, the Sheriff’s Office notes, is leaving “nearly 70,000 customers in the dark.”
California Highway Patrol “closed the Ferndale Bridge for possible structural damage” from the earthquake. That one spans the Eel River and it’s not sure when it will be back in service. Several other roads were also damaged.
As related by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the early morning earthquake also “caused gas leaks, downed power lines and set one building on fire, which was quickly extinguished, and caused two other buildings to collapse.”
They took at least 70 emergency calls after the quake struck. One was a “report of a person left trapped who needed rescuing.”
Picking up the pieces
Now that the big shakeup is over, officials are warning that “your building’s gas supply should be your next priority.” That is because even a mild earthquake can “damage gas piping and appliances.”
Small cracks can cause big explosions. Residents have been calling in “scattered gas leaks and burst water pipes” all across Humboldt County.
One of the reported gas leaks sparked “a residential fire in Rio Dell where a 4.6-magnitude aftershock hit.” Since the main earthquake, “more than 40 aftershocks were reported and smaller ones are expected in the next couple days.”
The utility reminds customers that if “you’re concerned your home is at risk for a gas leak, the best thing to do is to manually shut the gas off at the gas meter.” Once it’s off, “it can only be turned back on by an expert.” That means be prepared to wait a while for it to be turned back on, especially if there were more leaks in your area.
Unconfirmed reports of more injuries are trickling in but “no fatalities were immediately reported.” Various stores and businesses “were damaged in downtown Fortuna where the power was out and shattered glass littered the sidewalks.”
There is also “some damage” to buildings and infrastructure. Two area hospitals “lost power and were running on generators.” Even so, “the scale of the damage appeared to be ‘minimal‘ compared to the strength of the quake,” an emergency management official explained.
