A 7.0 magnitude earthquake off Northern California triggers a brief tsunami warning

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A 7.0-magnitude earthquake shook a large area of ​​Northern California on Thursday, knocking items off grocery store shelves, sending children scrambling under desks and triggering a brief tsunami warning for 5.3 million people. Along the west coast of the United States.

The US Geological Survey said the quake struck at 10:44 a.m. west of Ferndale, a small city in coastal Humboldt County, about 130 miles (209 kilometers) from the Oregon border.

The quake was felt as far south as San Francisco, about 270 miles (435 kilometers) away, where residents described rolling motion for several seconds. This was followed by several smaller aftershocks.

There were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries from the quake, which was the strongest to hit California since a 7.1-magnitude quake struck Ridgecrest in 2019.

A person and his dog stroll along Ocean Beach in San Francisco during a tsunami warning on Thursday, December 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Emily Steinberger) (AP)

The tsunami warning was in effect for about an hour. It was issued shortly after Thursday's quake, and covered nearly 500 miles (805 kilometers) of coastline, from the edge of California's Monterey Bay northward into Oregon.

“It was a strong earthquake. Our building shook. We're fine, but I have a mess to clean up now,” said Julie Kretzer, owner of Golden Gait Mercantile, a store filled with food, merchandise and souvenirs that is a major attraction in Ferndale.

“I have to go. I have to try to save something for the holidays because it's going to be a tough year,” Kretzer said before hanging up the phone.

The area — known for its redwood forests, scenic mountains and the legendary Emerald Triangle County marijuana crop — was hit by a 6.4-magnitude earthquake in 2022, leaving thousands of people without power and water. The northwest corner of California is the most seismically active part of the state because it's where three tectonic plates meet, seismologist Lucy Jones said on the social media platform BlueSky.

Shortly after the quake, phones in Northern California rang with a tsunami warning from the National Weather Service that said: “A series of strong waves and strong currents may impact the coasts near you.” You are in danger. Stay away from coastal waters. Move to higher ground or indoors now. Stay away from the coast until local officials say it is safe to return.

Many cities urged people to evacuate to higher ground as a precaution.

In Santa Cruz, authorities cleared the main beach and closed the entrances with police tape. Aerial footage showed cars heading bumper-to-bumper to higher ground on California Highways 1 and 92 in the Half Moon Bay area south of San Francisco.

“I thought my axes had collapsed,” said Valerie Starkey, a Del Norte County supervisor who represents Crescent City, a town of less than 6,000 located near the Oregon border. “That's what I was feeling… 'My axle is broken now.' I didn't realize it was an earthquake.”

Cindy Vosburg, executive director of the Crescent-del Norte County Chamber of Commerce, said she heard alarms go off just before the tremors started, and the downtown cultural center began creaking.

“When the building starts to roll, the building will roll again,” Vosburg said.

White House spokesman Jeremy Edwards said President Joe Biden has been briefed on the quake and that Federal Emergency Management Agency officials are in contact with their state and local counterparts in California and Oregon.

Governor Gavin Newsom said he signed an emergency declaration to quickly move state resources to affected areas along the coast. Newsom said state officials are concerned about damage in the northern part of the state.

Hassan Reda cleans up following a 7.0 magnitude earthquake inside E&J Liquors, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, in Rio Dell, Calif. (Savannah Robinson via AP) (AP)

Crews in Eureka, the largest city in the area, are assessing whether there is any damage. Eureka Mayor Kim Bergel, who works at a middle school, said the lights were swaying and everyone sat under desks.

“The kids were so adorable and scared. It seemed to go back and forth for a long time,” she said. Some of the kids asked: Can I call mom?

The students were later sent home.

In nearby Arcata, students and faculty were urged to shelter in place at California Polytechnic State University in Humboldt.

Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal said residents experienced cracks in the foundations of their homes, in addition to broken glass and windows, but nothing serious.

Honsal said he was in his office at the 75-year-old courthouse in downtown Eureka when he felt the quake.

“We're used to it. It's known as 'earthquake country' around here.” “It wasn't a sharp jolt. It was slow, but significant.”

The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District, known as BART, halted traffic in all directions through the underwater tunnel between San Francisco and Oakland, and visitors to the San Francisco Zoo were also evacuated.

Corinna Allen, tsunami program manager for the National Weather Service in Washington state, said this was the type of earthquake that moves more horizontally and is less likely to cause tsunamis, unlike vertical types.

The California Geological Survey says that the state's beaches have been exposed to more than 150 tsunamis since 1800, and although most of them were minor, some were devastating and deadly.

On March 28, 1964, a tsunami caused by a powerful earthquake in Alaska struck Crescent City hours later. Much of the business district was leveled and dozens of people were killed. More recently, a tsunami caused by the 2011 earthquake in Japan caused about $100 million in damage along the California coast, mostly in the Crescent City.

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Dazio reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press writers Christopher Weber, Jimmy Ding and Durrani Pineda in Los Angeles; Martha Mendoza in Santa Cruz, California; Sophie Austin and Tran Nguyen in Sacramento, California; Seth Bornstein in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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