One year to the day after a magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck the region, tens of thousands of Humboldt County residents are without power after a similar, magnitude 6.4 quake occurred off the coast early this morning. Two injuries and no deaths were reported.
Bay Area residents reported little to no shaking, although numerous Apple Watches and other devices registered a loud earthquake warning at 2:34 a.m.
Big #earthquake!!!
— J Reed (@EarthlingJR) December 20, 2022
No power.
The house is a mess.
My animals are in hiding.
But we're okay…kind of. pic.twitter.com/1mE8NknA3g
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake was centered near the town of Ferndale at a depth of about 24 kilometers. Two aftershocks, measuring 4.6 and 3.9 on the Richter scale, followed within roughly half an hour.
While structural damage is assessed, entire communities were plunged into darkness, and people took to Twitter to post images and video of items having fallen off shelves and kitchens in disarray. Cities as far away as Eureka and Redding felt the shaking.
This morning’s tremor comes several months after the Bay Area experienced several smaller quakes.