‘Notable’ 6.4-magnitude earthquake strikes California coast

December 20, 2022

Gary S Chapman/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — A “notable” 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck the northern coast of California early Tuesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Preliminary data placed the center of the quake along the Pacific coast about 7.5 miles away from Ferndale, California, USGS said. The quake was recorded at about 2:34 a.m. local time.

Notable quake, preliminary info: M 6.4 – 12km WSW of Ferndale, CA https://t.co/PxdJCcDwFH
— USGS Earthquakes (@USGS_Quakes) December 20, 2022

A tsunami wasn’t expected, according to the U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center, which reported the quake at a preliminary magnitude of 6.1.

More than 71,000 customers — about 72% of those in Humboldt County — had lost power as of about 4:45 a.m. local time, according to tracking website PowerOutage.us.

“Power is out across the county,” officials said on Twitter, adding in all-caps: “Do not call 911 unless you are experiencing an immediate emergency.”

The sheriff’s office also said there was “widespread” damage to roads and homes throughout Humboldt County, including the Fernbridge in Ferndale. There were at least two injuries in the county, both from falls, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office said.

The quake was large enough to trigger a “ShakeAlert” that was sent to cellphones by FEMA’s Wireless Emergency Alert System, officials said.

“We hope everyone is safe and if you felt shaking or got an alert you took a protective action like Drop, Cover, and Hold On,” USGS said.