A powerful magnitude 6.4 earthquake jolted the northern coast of California before dawn on Tuesday, damaging homes, roads and water systems and leaving tens of thousands of people without electricity. The earthquake was about 16 km deep, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, and struck about 12km west-southwest of Ferndale, about a four-hour drive north of San Francisco.
Kenna Shapiro, Eureka Resident: “It was a pretty intense earthquake. It lasted a bit longer than some of them we have in the past thankfully it wasn't the worst one I've experienced personally up here. We did not have to worry about a tsunami that was ruled out pretty early and that's generally the absolute number one concern. As far as services, internet, cell service and our electricity went down across the county which covers about 70 to 80 thousand people. A lot of the services were restored within the first 24 hours in the more urban areas and some of the more rural areas are still waiting for services to be restored.”
Authorities reported at least four other roads in Humboldt County closed due to earthquake damage. The Humboldt County Sheriff's Office of Emergency Services said two people had died as a result of medical emergencies occurring during or just following the earthquake. Most of the 72,000 Humboldt County customers who lost electricity when the quake struck before dawn Tuesday had power restored by evening, but thousands of residents remained without power the day after the earquake.
當地民眾凱娜：「那是一場相當強烈的地震，持續時間比以前經歷過的地震都還要來得長，但這次不是我在這邊遇過最嚴重的地震，我們也不用擔心會引發海嘯。就一些通訊服務上來說，網路、電話通訊以及電力都遭中斷，大概有７至８萬人受到影響。城市地區大部分服務在24小時內就恢復正常，但外圍郊區都還在等待功能復原。」
高速公路巡警表示，洪堡郡至少4條道路出現大裂縫，有個路段正在塌陷中。官方也證實，因地震造成的瓦斯外洩事件，至少有兩人喪生。洪堡郡至少有7萬2千戶停電，雖然經過搶修，趕在當天傍晚恢復供電，但仍有數千戶隔天還是無電可用。
