Local authorities report that a 6.4-magnitude earthquake that rocked the coast has left two people dead and a California hamlet in a “complete shambles.”
A large water main break and the shaking of homes off their foundations brought by the earthquake have left Rio Dell without power or water, a Humboldt County official said on Tuesday.
The “notable” 6.4-magnitude earthquake occurred early on Tuesday on California’s northern coast, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
According to preliminary estimates, Ferndale, California was located around 7.5 miles from the epicentre of the earthquake that struck the Pacific Coast. The earthquake was felt at around 2:34 in the morning local time.
According to authorities, two people, aged 72 and 83 died in Humboldt County as a result of medical problems happening during and/or soon following the earthquake.
According to William Honsal, the sheriff of Humboldt County, at least 12 individuals have been hurt as a result of the earthquake, and more are certain to do so.
In response to the earthquake, California Governor Gavin Newsom issued a state of emergency on Tuesday night.
“The emergency proclamation enables Humboldt County to access resources under the California Disaster Assistance Act, directs Caltrans to formally request immediate assistance through the Federal Highway Administration’s Emergency Relief Program and supports impacted residents by easing access to unemployment benefits and waiving fees to replace records such as marriage and birth certificates, among other provisions,” he said in a statement.
According to Samantha Kargas, public relations officer for the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, several persons were rescued Tuesday morning after being trapped inside a fallen building.
According to the tracking website PowerOutage.us, over 29,000 customers in Humboldt County were still without electricity as of Tuesday night.
According to officials in Humboldt County, a water heater cut a gas line, which caused a house to catch fire.
According to county officials, 18 properties have been yellow-tagged and have moderate damage, while about 15 residences have been red-tagged, indicating damage and being declared unsafe to enter.
According to officials, the earthquake was strong enough to cause FEMA’s Wireless Emergency Alert System to send a “ShakeAlert” to cellphones.
The U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center estimated the earthquake’s preliminary magnitude to be 6.1 and said no tsunami was anticipated.
This is the largest Earthquake to hit the state in 3 Years.
Authourities fear more could still be on the way.
