Strong California earthquake damages buildings, roads, cuts power

At the very least 11 individuals injured and two died from medical emergencies after the magnitude 6.4 quake off northern California.

A house broken by an earthquake could be seen in Rio Dell, California, US, on December 20, 2022. A robust earthquake shook northern California, jolting residents awake, reducing off energy to hundreds, and damaging some buildings and a roadway, officers stated [Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP Photo]

A magnitude 6.4 earthquake that struck off the coast of northern California has broken properties, roads and water techniques and left tens of hundreds of individuals with out electrical energy.

At the very least 11 individuals had been reported injured, and two others died from “medical emergencies” that occurred throughout or simply after the quake on Tuesday morning, in keeping with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Workplace.

The earthquake hit at 2:34am (10:00 GMT) on Tuesday, in keeping with the USA Geological Survey (USGS), and was adopted by about 80 aftershocks.

(Al Jazeera)

Centred about 350km (215 miles) north of San Francisco and offshore of Humboldt County — a area recognized for comparatively frequent seismic exercise — the most recent earthquake appeared to trigger extra disruption than others lately.

Tuesday’s temblor set off one construction hearth, which was rapidly extinguished, and triggered two different buildings to break down, in keeping with the California Division of Forestry and Hearth Safety (CalFire).

The division stated its dispatchers fielded 70 emergency calls after the earthquake, together with one report of an individual left trapped who wanted rescuing, spokesperson Tran Beyea stated.

Particulars on earthquake-related casualties had been sketchy, however one surviving sufferer was a baby with a head damage and the opposite an older individual with a damaged hip, in keeping with native media studies citing the sheriff’s workplace.

The USGS stated an preliminary evaluation confirmed a low probability of casualties, and the Nationwide Tsunami Warning Heart stated a tsunami was not anticipated.

Good morning Redwood Coast CA. Did you're feeling the magnitude 6.4 quake about 7.5 miles southwest of Ferndale at 2:34 am? The #ShakeAlert system was activated. See: https://t.co/zwOapjTWaApic.twitter.com/eMSUAT3inw

— USGS ShakeAlert (@USGS_ShakeAlert) December 20, 2022

Nonetheless, the earthquake minimize energy to greater than 70,000 individuals in Humboldt County, in keeping with the outage tracker web site poweroutage.us.

“Energy is out throughout the county. Don't name 911 until you're experiencing a right away emergency,” the Humboldt County Workplace of Emergency Companies tweeted.

Native media reported the earthquake triggered quite a few fuel leaks, downed powerlines and resulted in at the least one construction hearth within the metropolis of Ferndale.

Small rockslides had been additionally reported, and at the least one roadway buckled through the earthquake, which was adopted by dozens of small aftershocks.

Street Closure: State Route 211 at Fernbridge, Humboldt County is CLOSED. The bridge is closed whereas we conduct security inspections attributable to potential seismic injury. pic.twitter.com/601oOQRz2o

— Caltrans District 1 (@CaltransDist1) December 20, 2022

Humboldt County officers warned of studies of “widespread damages to roads and houses” and urged residents to test fuel and water strains for indicators of leaks.

Police within the metropolis of Ferndale additionally moved to shut a bridge that the California Freeway Patrol reported had cracks following the earthquake, KRCR-TV reported.

Caroline Titus, a resident of Ferndale, tweeted a video in her darkened residence of toppled furnishings and smashed dishes.

“Our house is a 140-year-old Victorian. The north/south shaking could be very evident in what fell,” she stated.

“That was a giant one,” she added in a subsequent tweet.

Our house is a 140-year-old Victorian. The north/south shaking could be very evident in what fell. This was our espresso station. Sorry for darkish video. Energy nonetheless out. #ferndaleca#earthquakepic.twitter.com/md1WKCS58Z

— Caroline Titus (@caroline95536) December 20, 2022

The earthquake adopted a smaller magnitude 3.6 earthquake that struck about 400km (250 miles) close to San Francisco on Saturday.

California is repeatedly shaken by earthquakes, and seismologists have warned a quake able to inflicting widespread destruction is prone to hit the state within the subsequent 30 years.

A magnitude 6.7 earthquake in 1994 in Northridge, northwest of Los Angeles, left at the least 60 individuals lifeless and triggered an estimated $10bn in injury.

A magnitude 6.9 quake in San Francisco in 1989 claimed the lives of 67 individuals.