THIRD UPDATE:
Preliminary reports indicate very little damage throughout Humboldt County despite the severity of the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that struck about 60 miles west of Petrolia at 10:44 a.m.
Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal says the Eel River Valley was impacted worse than other areas of the county, but nothing like the damage caused by the large earthquakes two years ago. Honsal said some road damage has been reported, though all are still passable.
Crews assessing damage in Ferndale report some downed power lines and plenty of broken dishes but “surprisingly little” structural damage, according to a member of the emergency response team.
Down in Rio Dell, which bore the brunt of the large quakes in December of 2022 and January of 2023, officials report the city’s water and wastewater systems seem OK, though a large crack opened up in Blue Slide Road. A gas leak was also reported at the middle school, and a number of homes have reported water heater damage.
Farther north, Eureka Police Chief Brian Stephens says no damage has been reported in the city.
North Coast state Sen. Mike McGuire posted on social media that he’s received reports of “some homes that have come off of foundations in the greater Eel River Valley,” though we’ve not yet been able to confirm that. McGuire also reported an estimated 10,000 electric customers are without power currently.
The Shelter Cove General Store, meanwhile, reported that shaking was severe down there, though it reopened a couple hours after the quake, albeit after some significant cleanup on multiple aisles.
No injuries have been reported thus far from the quake, though shaking was reportedly felt from north of Medford, Oregon, to Southern California, and as far east as Carson City, Nevada.
SECOND UPDATE:
According to the California Office of Emergency Services, the agency is working with the Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services and state and local responders to assess impacts from today’s magnitude 7.0.
UPDATE:
The Eureka office of the National Weather Service reports the National Warning Center has indicated no tsunami has been generated by this earthquake.
PREVIOUS:
A preliminary magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck at 10:44 a.m. about 60 miles west northwest of Petrolia at a depth of around 6 miles, according to USGS.
The National Weather Service has issued a tsunami warning for the coast. Anyone on the beach or in a tsunami zone should evacuate immediately.
At least five additional quakes have occurred, according to USGS, with the largest a magnitude 4.2. and more continuing.
A Redwood Coast Tsunami Work Group social media post just before 12:30 p.m. warns residents to “expect more aftershocks” and notes there is “a small but real chance” that another quake in the magnitude 6 to magnitude 7 range “could still occur.”
The post also states: “There have been a number of aftershocks both further offshore and closer to the coast than this morning’s 7.0. Fortunately, no major damage has been reported. ”
According to a Eureka office of the National Weather Service post at 11:20 a.m.: “We are still assessing and evaluating information from the Tsunami Warning Center. We strongly suggest that everyone remain in an area of high ground. We don’t expect to receive additional information for at least the next 30 minutes.”
The tsunami warning was in effect for a large swath of the state, covering “the coast from Davenport, California (10 miles NW of Santa Cruz) to The Oregon/Cal. Border including San Francisco Bay,” according to the National Tsunami Warning Center.
No immediate reports of damage were available.
According to PG&E, nearly 10,000 customers in Humboldt County are without power as of 11:40 a.m. following the preliminary magnitude 7.0, including nearly 1,600 in Rio Dell and 300 in Fortuna.
The Humboldt County Office of Education school status list shows the Rio Dell School District, Peninsula Union School District, Scotia Union School District and Ferndale Unified School District closed their campus. The Pacific Union School District in Arcata and the Orick Elementary School District also evacuated campuses.
The massive quake comes almost exactly two years after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck at 2:34 a.m., hitting the city of Rio Dell particularly hard, shaking the small town with the third highest intensity ever recorded in a California earthquake.
That was followed by a 5.4 aftershock on New Year’s Day. Hundreds were without a place to call home and the quakes caused major impacts to 25 percent of Rio Dell’s housing stock and nearly $26 million in damage across the Eel River Valley.
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This article appears in Flash Fiction 2024.