Offshore earthquake causes minor damage in California
Source: Agencies |
January 11, 2010, Monday
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A POWERFUL offshore earthquake rattled communities in far northern California, cutting power to thousands of customers, causing minor damage to homes and businesses and forcing many people to seek treatment for cuts and bruises from falling debris.
The 6.5 magnitude temblor hit at about 4:27pm on Saturday and was centered in the Pacific Ocean about 35 kilometers west of Ferndale, but was felt as far south as Capitola in central California and as far north as central Oregon, the US Geological Survey said.
In Eureka, about 385 kilometers north of San Francisco, residents of an apartment building were evacuated, and an office building and two other commercial structures were declared unsafe for occupancy, according to Humboldt County spokesman Phil Smith-Hanes.
"Our initial reports were that, though this was a pretty decent quake, we survived it well," Smith-Hanes said, adding that damage assessments would continue countywide.
More than a dozen aftershocks, some with magnitudes as powerful as 4.5, rumbled for several hours after the initial quake, which had a depth of nearly 16 kilometers.
Authorities said no major injuries have been reported. But several people received minor cuts and scrapes from broken glass at the Bayshore Mall in Eureka, and an elderly person fell and broke a hip, authorities said.
"We're mostly getting reports of bumps, bruises and hits on the head," said Laurie Watson Stone, a spokeswoman for St Joseph Hospital, a 146-bed hospital in Eureka. "The emergency room is busy, but we haven't heard of any major injuries."
Pacific Gas & Electric Co spokesman J.D. Guidi said power outages were widespread across most of Humboldt County, affecting about 25,000 customers.
Nearly 10,000 remained without power some five hours after the quake, and some could remain without power through Sunday, PG&E spokeswoman Janna Morris said.
No damage was done to the company's former nuclear power plant outside Eureka, Morris said.
Several traffic lights fell and numerous residents reported water, gas and sewer leaks, Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services spokeswoman Jo Wattle said.
"People have chimneys down, and we're hearing about minor property damage and lots of glassware broken," Wattle said. "People are really shaken up. It was shaking pretty good, then it had a big jolt to it at the end."
Police in Ferndale, several miles south of Eureka, said the earthquake caused stucco to fall off City Hall and broke shop windows, strewing the historic downtown streets with glass shards.
"I thought a tire had blown off my truck because it was so hard to keep control of the vehicle," Officer Lindsey Frank said. "Power lines were swaying, and I could see people in the fields trying to keep their balance."
The 6.5 magnitude temblor hit at about 4:27pm on Saturday and was centered in the Pacific Ocean about 35 kilometers west of Ferndale, but was felt as far south as Capitola in central California and as far north as central Oregon, the US Geological Survey said.
In Eureka, about 385 kilometers north of San Francisco, residents of an apartment building were evacuated, and an office building and two other commercial structures were declared unsafe for occupancy, according to Humboldt County spokesman Phil Smith-Hanes.
"Our initial reports were that, though this was a pretty decent quake, we survived it well," Smith-Hanes said, adding that damage assessments would continue countywide.
More than a dozen aftershocks, some with magnitudes as powerful as 4.5, rumbled for several hours after the initial quake, which had a depth of nearly 16 kilometers.
Authorities said no major injuries have been reported. But several people received minor cuts and scrapes from broken glass at the Bayshore Mall in Eureka, and an elderly person fell and broke a hip, authorities said.
"We're mostly getting reports of bumps, bruises and hits on the head," said Laurie Watson Stone, a spokeswoman for St Joseph Hospital, a 146-bed hospital in Eureka. "The emergency room is busy, but we haven't heard of any major injuries."
Pacific Gas & Electric Co spokesman J.D. Guidi said power outages were widespread across most of Humboldt County, affecting about 25,000 customers.
Nearly 10,000 remained without power some five hours after the quake, and some could remain without power through Sunday, PG&E spokeswoman Janna Morris said.
No damage was done to the company's former nuclear power plant outside Eureka, Morris said.
Several traffic lights fell and numerous residents reported water, gas and sewer leaks, Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services spokeswoman Jo Wattle said.
"People have chimneys down, and we're hearing about minor property damage and lots of glassware broken," Wattle said. "People are really shaken up. It was shaking pretty good, then it had a big jolt to it at the end."
Police in Ferndale, several miles south of Eureka, said the earthquake caused stucco to fall off City Hall and broke shop windows, strewing the historic downtown streets with glass shards.
"I thought a tire had blown off my truck because it was so hard to keep control of the vehicle," Officer Lindsey Frank said. "Power lines were swaying, and I could see people in the fields trying to keep their balance."
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