2 dead after quake
Magnitude-6.4 and dozens of aftershocks rattle county, more than 70,000 residents in the dark
A 6.4 magnitude earthquake rudely shook Humboldt County residents out of bed early on Tuesday morning, knocking out power for roughly 71,850 people, injuring at least 11 and leaving two dead in its wake.
The earthquake, which began at 2:34 a.m. 7.5 miles from Ferndale, caused widespread damage to roads — including to Fernbridge, which was completely closed as of Tuesday — with two confirmed deaths and 11 injuries, according to the Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services website. The deaths were caused by medical emergencies during or shortly after the earthquake.
“We know that there is one structure fire and we also know that there were a couple of homes that may have been knocked off their foundation, or partially collapsed,” Mark Ghilarducci, director of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, said at a news conference. “We’re going through this damage assessment to get a sense of that as we speak.”
As the county recovers from this earthquake, there is a 13% chance of a magnitude earthquake of 5 and above coming in the next week, said Cynthia Pridmore, a senior engineering geologist with the California Geological Survey
“People do need to be prepared, especially if they’re in weakened structures, to be mindful of where they’re staying,” Pridmore said.
The earthquake saw up to 80 aftershocks, the largest measuring around a 4.6 magnitude in Rio Dell. Water main breaks were reported in Fortuna.
The reported injuries were considered minor to moderate and were primarily caused by non-structural damage, meaning falling household objects. A tsunami is not expected.
Rio Dell is without water, electricity, internet and gas.
“The quake did major damage to our water system,” Debra
Garnes, mayor of Rio Dell, said. “One of the tanks … the fitting sheared right at the tank, and so that one just drained. The other ones because of leaks drained like five feet in 30 minutes.”
Rio Dell residents who need water can go to the city’s fire department, which is handing out cases of bottled water. Residents whose homes have been damaged beyond the point of habitability should visit the Red Cross stations at Firemen’s Pavilion in Fortuna.
The city had to turn off the water in order to preserve what was left in the event the fire department needs it for firefighting. Rio Dell is one of Humboldt County’s more rural towns, meaning phone service can be unreliable and residents can struggle to communicate remotely with loved ones when the internet goes down, Garnes said.
Rio Dell has ordered portable toilets to be placed in front of city hall, the fire station and the elementary school.
One of the reported deaths after the earthquake was a Rio Dell resident, Garnes said.
“There were 60 service calls in 30 minutes between water leaks, gas leaks and health,” Garnes said.
The city is hoping to restore gas and electricity by Tuesday evening after they shut the gas off because of several 911 calls reporting gas leaks.
Caltrans Director Tony Tavares said that his agency is currently surveying the damage on major structures and bridges across Humboldt County, but Fernbridge has been the only one identified. He issued a $6 million emergency order to pay for a contractor and fix the bridge.
The last time an earthquake of this magnitude shook Humboldt County was on Dec. 20, 2021, exactly one year ago. The previous earthquake measured at a 6.2 magnitude and damaged buildings in the county, shattering several storefront windows.
Ghilarducci encouraged residents to download the MyShake app, which alerts residents to incoming earthquakes.
“We live in earthquake country. This is another example of the fact that earthquakes can occur at any time, without notice,” Ghilarducci said. “It’s really important that we as Californians have a plan, have a family plan, have some supplies in case we lose power.”
In Eureka, where electricity is down, incomingMayor Kim Bergel said she saw several broken windows in storefronts around town, which were being boarded up with plywood.
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. is working with the state to restore power, but there is no concrete timeline for when power will be restored. Customers can report damaged electric and gas lines to PG&E’s tollfree line at 1-800-743-5002. Their outage map can be viewed at https://pgealerts. alerts.pge.com/outagecenter/.
Residents may call the city of Eureka to report damage to their buildings at 707-441-4155 and an inspector will respond for a safety assessment.
Both Eureka and Fortuna have set up charging stations for residents to charge communication technology and plug in medical equipment. Fortuna’s station is in Rohner Park Pavilion, Eureka’s is in the Eureka Municipal Auditorium.
Residents can report earthquake damages to the Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services at https://bit.ly/3FHOpQc.
Several roads are closed due to damage, including Monument Road southwest of Rio Dell, Tompkins Hill Road at Hookton Road and Fernbridge.
Residents can visit http:// quickmap.dot.ca.gov/ to read updated state highway closures.
More information can be found at https://humboldtgov.org/2383/CurrentEmergencies.
“The main thing is just to make sure that people you love and care about are safe, and even people maybe that you don’t even care about,” Bergel said. “Be mindful that everybody’s really stressed out. It’s a big deal, and to allow that grace and courtesy to get through this together.”