Breaking News: 7.0 earthquake strikes Northern California
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Northern California was rocked by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake late Thursday morning.
After the tremor struck at 10:45 a.m., just over 60 miles to the west-southwest of Humboldt County’s Ferndale, a tsunami warning was issued for a wide swath of the West Coast. The warning extended from Oregon through central California and at least 5.3 million people in California were affected.
The warnings were canceled by the National Weather Service minutes later.
The agency estimated than more than 1.3 million people lived close enough to the quake to feel its impact. There were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries, but some store owners said their goods had been broken.
The governor signed an emergency declaration in response to the day’s events, activating state emergency resources.
Olivia Cobian, the innkeeper at Ferndale’s Gingerbread Mansion, told The Los Angeles Times that her building “looked like a war zone.”
In San Francisco, the Bay Area Rapid Transit District, known as BART, experienced major delays.
The San Francisco Zoo’s visitors were evacuated, its animals were secured and staff were moved to higher ground.
Mayor London Breed temporarily activated the city’s Emergency Operations Center in response to the warnings. She advised people to move off the coast and at least one block inland.
With reporting from The Associated Press
Life returns to normal in San Francisco
(Josh Marcus / The Independent) After a tsunami warning briefly put the city on edge, life in San Francisco is back to normal.
During a visit from one of our reporters to San Francisco’s Baker Beach on Thursday afternoon, the dogwalkers were walking, the fishermen were fishing, and there were few obvious signs there had been the chance of a one-two punch natural disaster on the horizon earlier in the day.
Josh Marcus6 December 2024 03:00
Why wasn’t there a tsunami? Meteorologist explainsResidents across California and the Pacific Northwest were alarmed on Thursday with a tsunami warning after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake occured off the coast of Northern California.
The warning, however, was quickly dropped. So what happened?
Meteorologist Matthew Cappucci had a helpful explanation why for MyRadar Weather.
Josh Marcus6 December 2024 02:00
The new risk of politicized disaster aidThankfully, tsunami waves did not inundate the West Coast today.
If they had, communities in California might have had to deal with a worrying trend that cropped up in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene: politicized disaster aid.
When the storm barreled through, it was right before Election Day, and Republican officials like Donald Trump and JD Vance didn’t hesitate to spread false claims about the nature of the government’s disaster response.
Here’s reporting from Julia Musto and Kelly Rissman on this troubling phenomenon.
Josh Marcus6 December 2024 01:30
‘Hundreds’ of smaller aftershocks expected after California quakeA series of smaller aftershocks are expected over the next week after today’s 7.0 magnitude earthquake off the coast of California.
More than a dozen have already been reported.
The aftershocks will weaken over time, though there’s still about a five percent chance of an earthquake greater than 6.0 in magnitude over the next week, Christine Goulet, the director of the USGS Earthquake Science Center, told NBC News.
“Following a 7, there could be fairly large aftershocks,” she said. “As time goes by, they’re going to be less frequent and smaller.”
“Several aftershocks have already occurred and will continue for the next week or so,” according to the Pacific Northwest Seisemic Network. “There is a 35% chance of one or more aftershocks that are larger than M5. There will likely be dozens to hundreds of smaller aftershocks within the next week in the magnitude 3 range.”
Josh Marcus6 December 2024 01:00
Tsunami warning was a wakeup call for Bay Area familyAuthorities ended up calling off a tsunami warning for Northern California on Thursday after an offshore earthquake, but the circumstances still left an impact on Oakland resident Nuala Bishari.
She writes in the San Francisco Chronicle that Thursday’s scare prompted her family to drill down on the details of their plans for a natural disaster, like how to stay in touch and which supplies they should have on hand.
“We’re considering expensive, long-range walkie-talkies in case cell service goes down,” she wrote. “I found an old backpack I can use as a go bag. I’m shoving in passports and car titles as I write this.”
“There’s a lot to figure out. But as stressful as Thursday’s tsunami warning was, it was a wake-up call for all of us to be better prepared,” she added. “Next stop for me: the grocery store, to finally stock up on emergency food.”
Josh Marcus6 December 2024 00:40
See it: Newsom’s press briefing after the earthquakeJulia Musto6 December 2024 00:20
California emergency managers have turned on ALERTCalifornia’s Barry Ridge camera to monitor Eureka and Humboldt BayJulia Musto6 December 2024 00:00
USGS received more than 14K reports from people who felt the earthquakeThe United States Geological Survey has received more than 14,000 reports from people who felt the earthquake.
They came from as far north as Salem, Ore., and as far south as California’s San Joaquin Valley, according to the agency.
Julia Musto5 December 2024 23:40
California utility is assessing its gas and electric system after quakeJulia Musto5 December 2024 23:20
California has been hit by more than 150 tsunamis in over 200 yearsThe California Geological Survey says the state’s shores have been struck by more than 150 tsunamis since 1800, most of which were minor.
Previous research from the USGS identified the natural forces as signifcant threats to low-lying communities on its coast.
The 2013 study said the tsunami-inundation zone impacts hundreds of thousands of residents and land in 94 incorporate cities, 83 unincorporated communities, and 20 counties on the California coast.
In that zone, there are schools, daycares, banks, grocery stores, amusement parts, beaches, national parks, and other tourist areas.
“Community exposure to tsunamis in California varies considerably—some communities may experience great losses that reflect only a small part of their community and others may experience relatively small losses that devastate them,” the study’s authors said.
Julia Musto5 December 2024 23:00
