Deaths, Damage Reported After 6.4 Magnitude Northern California Earthquake

The collapsed second story porch of a house is seen after a strong 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of northern California, in Rio Dell, Calif., on Dec. 20, 2022. Fred Greaves/Reuters

Two people are dead and thousands are still without power in Humboldt County, California, after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck the area in the early morning Dec. 20 causing widespread damage to property and roads in the area.

The temblor struck just off the state’s northern coast about 15 miles from Ferndale, a small historic village on the northern coast about 130 miles from the Oregon border, the California Geological Survey reported.

Shaking could be felt from Redding to the San Francisco Bay area but most affected were the small cities of Ferndale, Fortuna, and Rio Dell.

About 12 people were injured and two people died as a result of medical emergencies occurring during or just after the earthquake, according to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s office.

Those who died were a 72-year-old and an 83-year-old who did not get timely medical care, Sheriff William Honsal said in a news conference Tuesday afternoon.

“Our hearts and prayers go out to their families,” he said. “It’s very sad when we have loss of life.”

The hardest hit was Rio Dell, where some people were trapped and had to be rescued. County law enforcement has been driving around the sparsely populated rural area that is home to about 137,000 residents.

Firefighters also responded to dozens of calls and one structure fire, Rio Dell’s volunteer fire chief reported.

The kitchen of a house is seen after a strong 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of northern California, in Rio Dell, Calif., on Dec. 20, 2022. Fred Greaves/Reuters

About 15 homes were red-tagged, meaning they cannot be occupied, and about 30 people were displaced, City Manager Kyle Knopp reported. Another 18 homes sustained damage but were still habitable.

Rio Dell residents also had no running water as of 2 p.m. The city estimated it would take up to two days to restore services. Meanwhile, portable toilets were set up in the city’s parking lot and at the fire station.

The Forest Hills subdivision in Fortuna and all Rio Dell residents were also under an advisory to boil water before drinking. Officials were distributing potable water at several locations in those cities.

Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services additionally warned residents to be prepared for aftershocks. Thus far, the area around Rio Dell has had about 80, three with a magnitude of 3.9 to 4.0, according to Cynthia Pridmore, a senior geologist with the California Geological Survey.

The area has a 13-percent chance of being struck with a magnitude 5.0 or higher aftershock in the next week, Pridmore said. No tsunami was expected, officials said.

The earthquake damaged power and gas services, water, roads, and structures. A couple of homes were knocked off foundations or partially collapsed, according to Mark Ghilarducci, director of the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.

Local officials have also received many reports of damage to items such as plates, bookshelves, TVs, and other items, Ghilarducci told reporters at a press conference.

“Unfortunately, it’s the non-structural items that create a danger for people,” Ghilarducci said.

The state was working with local and regional officials to provide cots, blankets, and comfort kits to anyone who needs them, Ghilarducci said, adding residents should take the time to make their homes as safe as possible for any future aftershocks.

“We live in earthquake country,” he said. “It’s really important that we as Californians have a family plan, have some supplies, in case we lose power.”

The state’s early earthquake warning system sent out alerts about 10 seconds before the shaking began to about 3 million people in northern California, officials said. The app can be downloaded for free on cell phones.

As of 9 a.m., crews from Pacific Power and Electric (PG&E) were working to restore power and gas services to about 71,850 customers in the affected region, company spokeswoman told The Epoch Times in an email.

“Our assessment could take several days,” PG&E Spokeswoman Mayra Tostado said.

Some transmission lines may have also been impacted during the event. State emergency officials expected it could take a day or two before everything is fully restored.

State transportation officials also closed State Route 211 after a bridge cracked across both lanes. All other state roadways remained open, CalTrans reported Tuesday morning.

About 8 miles east of Ferndale in the City of Fortuna, some residents were without water after more than 10 main water lines broke during the event, according to a public works representative.

One small subdivision with about 26 homes was also without water due to mechanical failure, the public works official reported.

Ferndale residents reported violent shaking that moved north to south in the Victorian 19th Century historic downtown area.

Ferndale City Councilman Phillip Ostler told The Epoch Times he was in bed at his historic home built in 1875 when the quake struck at 2:34 a.m.

“I thought I was going to die,” he said. “It shook like it was the end of the world, but it didn’t wreck my place or my tenant’s place.”

The town of about 1,300 people came together to check on each other right after the quake struck. Within five minutes, people were out on the streets checking on elderly residents, Ostler said.

“Everybody pretty much knows everybody, even the new people,” he said.

The quake shattered storefront windows at two businesses on Main Street, but most buildings did not sustain damage, according to publisher and editor Caroline Titus of The Ferndale Enterprise, a local newspaper.

Titus posted video and photos of the event on social media showing her Victorian home strewn with scattered debris. The town received more damage two years ago during a 6.2 earthquake that hit on the same day, Dec. 20, 2021, she said. That temblor struck offshore in the Cape Mendocino area of Northern California, followed by aftershocks.

“We’ve been through this a lot,” Titus said. “We’re very fortunate we have such a caring community. Everybody is just waiting for power to come back on.”