A large earthquake struck the northern California coast on Thursday morning, rattling communities and activating emergency alerts for both shaking and tsunami risks just before 11am local time.
Registered as a magnitude 7.0 and originating near the town of Ferndale in Humboldt county, the quake could be felt in San Francisco more than 260 miles (418km) away. Roughly 1.3 million people felt the quake , according to initial estimates provided by the US Geological Survey (USGS), which also reported that risks to human life remained low.
“That is an earthquake with quite a lot of energy,” the climate scientist Daniel Swain said of the temblor during a discussion shared on YouTube, adding that it was somewhat similar to other earthquakes that have occurred in the region over the last decade.
Cellphones buzzed throughout the region, warning of the incoming shaking and offering ample time to brace and cover. Tsunami alerts also rang out for at least 5.3 million people on the California coast and into Oregon, warning of large waves, strong currents and coastal flooding that could persist through the afternoon.
Following the alert, Bay Area Rapid Transit trains were held and underground stations were cleared as major delays were announced throughout the system, and the San Francisco fire department began evacuating the beaches.
The tsunami warning was withdrawn shortly after noon as officials announced the highest risks had subsided.
“One challenge with tsunami hazards is you don’t always know what you’re going to get,” Swain said, explaining why the alarm was raised and then abruptly withdrawn. “If it’s going to be big it may be too late to get people out of harm’s way.”
But some experts in the emergency management field were critical of how the warnings were rolled out, especially to residents in the San Francisco Bay area. Swain pointed to the potential for warning-fatigue to set in when alerts aren’t adequately explained as some in the region voiced concerns about confusion caused by inconsistent messaging and directions as some warnings were canceled.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday afternoon, Gavin Newsom, the state governor said the alerts were issued as a precaution.
“It is part of a protocol with tsunami warnings, anytime you are 5.0 or greater around a coastal region it typically goes into affect,” he said. “That allows us to back off through an abundance of caution.”
Newsom added that state officials are now turning their focus to the aftermath from the large earthquake. The governor signed a state of emergency declaration for the region to ensure resources quickly get to where they are needed most.
“We are concerned about damage, particularly in the northern part of the state,” he said.
Some affected areas, especially those that hug the coast and were recently saturated with rain, could be prone to landslides, USGS data shows.
No immediate damage reports were made available, but the USGS issued a “yellow alert” signifying that “some damage is possible and the impact should be relatively localized”.
“Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are resistant to earthquake shaking, though vulnerable structures exist,” the USGS said in a bulletin, noting that brick masonry construction poses the highest risk.
Videos of the aftermath posted online by local reporters showed grocery store shelves in disarray and shattered glasses and bottles lining bar floors. Residents shared images of cupboard contents that had been thrown to the flood. By early afternoon, only minor damage had been reported.
But beyond the immediate impacts, officials and experts are hopeful that this event will provide learning opportunities for residents and responders alike.
“It is another reminder of the state we live in,” Newsom said, “and the state of mind we need to bring to our day-to-day reality in the state of California, in terms of being prepared.”
