7.0 magnitude earthquake strikes Humboldt County, tsunami warning canceled

FERNDALE, Calif. - A series of earthquakes struck Humboldt County in Northern California Thursday, causing chaos, especially among coastal communities from the Golden State to Oregon. 

The initial magnitude was measured at 6.6, according to the USGS, which was then upgraded to magnitude 7.0. 

A second earthquake struck near Ferndale, population 1,500, which measured at a magnitude 5.8. 

The first earthquake struck about 10:45 a.m. in the city of Petrolia, roughly 50 miles from Eureka. 

Since the initial 7.0 earthquake, dozens of aftershocks hit Northern California, ranging from magnitude 2.5 to 4.7, the USGS reported.

Despite the severity of the quake, both Humboldt and Mendocino County officials had not received reports of damage, although residents reported cans falling off the shelves, bottles smashing to the ground and lights swaying from ceilings.  

"Currently, we are doing evacuations in some of the areas that could potentially be affected by the tsunami," Eureka Mayor Kim Bergal said. "Those are preventative measures. We don't have any details about any damage, but I'm sure that will be forthcoming." 

A tsunami warning was issued, and then canceled, for San Francisco following a 7.0 earthquake in Humboldt County. Dec. 5, 2024 

Thirty miles away in Ferndale, city clerk Kristine Hall said the city manager and police were "combing" the town, and also found no immediate reports of injury or damage, minus a few things falling to the ground.

"Yeah, people are still freaked out," Hall said, adding that she hid under her desk when the quake hit.

Caroline Titus posted videos on social media of shattered bottles at the Victorian Inn and cans falling from the shelves at Valley Grocery, both in Ferndale. 

In Fortuna, a city of 12,000 people by the Eel River, City Manager Amy Nilsen said she was personally terrified, but overall, there was minimal damage. 

In Humboldt County's Whitehorn, Shelter Cove General Store posted photos of damage – mostly merchandise that had been strewn about the floor. Some of it was broken glass. They posted that they "survived" and were already back open for business. 

The National Weather Service immediately issued a tsunami warning along the California and Oregon coast from the Santa Cruz area to Douglas County, Oregon. The waves were supposed to hit San Francisco by 12:10 p.m.

But just before noon, the National Weather Service canceled the tsunami warning. 

Still, Mayor London Breed had activated the Emergency Operations Center and told the public to move off the coast and at least one block inland.

Residents in the Bay Area in Dublin, Santa Cruz, Belmont, Cotati, Castro Valley, San Francisco, Napa and Sunnyvale reported feeling the quake.

As a result, BART stopped traffic in all directions until about noon. The city of Berkeley issued an evacuation order for West Berkeley because of the quakes up north.  The San Francisco Zoo closed for the day because of the warnings.

Krystal Haddock was at the zoo and said all the guests headed for the exit, looking for higher ground. 

"I see mothers running with their strollers," she said. "It was kind of crazy." 

Tina Killinger works as a medical assistant at Kaiser in Rohnert Park. 

When the quake hit, everyone got an alert on their phone, and they moved to the door frames. 

She said she saw the lights overhead swinging. 

"It seemed to last for a while," she said. 

But no one was hurt and everyone went back to work. 

Mark Neveu, a former FEMA coordinator, said this was a significant earthquake, noting the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake that hit the Bay Area and caused major destruction had a magnitude of 6.9. 

"Thank God this wasn't that," Neveau said. "We just need to keep an eye on the aftershocks." 

An emergency earthquake alert for Humboldt County. Dec. 5, 2024