View of the damage inside a house following the earthquake
(Picture: Caroline Titus via REUTERS)Thousands of people have been left without power after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck northern California.
The earthquake, which occurred at 2.34am local time, had a depth of 10 miles and hit the small town of Ferndale, about 213 miles northwest of San Francisco.
The quake was then followed by at least two aftershocks of 4.6 and 3.1 magnitude.
That was a big one. Power is now out in #ferndaleca. House is a mess. #earthquake pic.twitter.com/YEmcv1Urhp
— Caroline Titus (@caroline95536) December 20, 2022
No injuries or deaths were immediately reported and the United States’ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said that there was no current tsunami threat.
More than 55,000 customers were reported to be without power in the surrounding area, according to poweroutage.us, which tracks outages across the country.
Local media reported that the California highway patrol was responding to reports of cracks in the Ferndale bridge over the Eel River in and out of Ferndale.
Local media and others on social media reported numerous gas leaks, downed powerlines and at least one structure fire in Ferndale.
"That earthquake was insane," said Twitter user Jimmy Eller, who said he lived in Humboldt County. "A good 15-20 seconds of shaking."
Resident Caroline Titus posted video on Twitter of toppled furniture and household items scattered on the floor.
"Sorry for dark video. Power still out," Titus tweeted.
The California Independent System Operator, which oversees much of the state’s electrical grid, issued a transmission emergency notice for the area following the earthquake.
The earthquake comes just three days after the San Francisco Bay Area was struck by a magnitude 3.6 earthquake.
That quake was felt early on Saturday morning in the East Bay area just northeast of El Cerrito, near Oakland.
California is susceptible to experiencing many earthquakes, in part due to the fact the San Andreas Fault that runs through the state.
