Several earthquakes struck Northern California Thursday, including a magnitude-7.0 offshore in the Pacific Ocean at 10:44 a.m. PT that triggered a tsunami warning along coastal areas from Santa Cruz into Oregon.
The tsunami warning was canceled just before noon PT.
At least two other earthquakes were initially reported around the same time:
- A preliminary 6.0 magnitude earthquake was reported in Humboldt County, which was later downgraded to a 4.7 magnitude temblor
- A preliminary 5.8 magnitude earthquake was reported in Cobb in Lake County, but has since been downgraded to a 4.1 magnitude quake.
Aftershocks continue following strong earthquake off California coast
At least 72 aftershocks were reported across the region following the 7.0 magnitude temblor, and dozens more are expected.
Earthquake struck near Mendocino Triple Junction
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The 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck off the California coast near the Mendocino Triple Junction, which is considered the "most seismically active part of California."
State to assist areas impacted by 7.0 magnitude earthquake
Gov. Gavin Newsom in a Thursday afternoon news briefing said he signed off on a state emergency declaration that will allow more resources to support Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties.
Destructive tsunami ‘not on the table today'
Despite the scary tsunami warning and evacuation orders, officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration later said that a damaging tsunami would not hit the West Coast.
Dave Snider, the Tsunami Warning Coordinator for NOAA, said the strength of the earthquake and the proximity to the shore forced it to issue the tsunami warning. But as his team continued to analyze the impact of the quake, it led them to believe that a dangerous tsunami would not strike California.
"For the U.S. West Coast, this is tricky stuff," Snider said. "This is time-based. So we have to get that alert out, and then confirm, yes or no, that something is happening. In this case, thankfully, it looks like a destructive wave is not on the table today."
Businesses, people reel with earthquake aftermath
More than 12 hours after the earthquake, people and businesses are still assessing the damage in Northern California.
In Redway, a Shop Smart felt the aftermath almost immediately. Water began bushing from the ceiling, which forced the store to close.
"I got here and it was just a mess," said Becky Monahan, a store employee. "The floors were just really, really wet; we had about an inch of water in here."
Employees had to place trash buns to catch remaining drips of water.
In Half Moon Bay, residents said they were caught off guard when they received a tsunami warning.
"We were shocked because the sirens did not go off," said Morgan Pierce.
Pierce, who lives in the coastal town and was at work then, said she was shocked that no sirens were going off.
"In our neighborhood, after the first alert, they ended up coming around with a bullhorn, the cops, telling [my husband] to evacuate," she said.
According to the San Mateo County Department of Emergency Management, it held off on pushing the button that would have triggered sirens along the coast.
"As every moment evolved, we basically had more information from the National Weather Service and the National Tsunami Warning Center that basically said the threat was decreasing significantly over time," said Shruti Dhapodkar, the director of Emergency Management for San Mateo County.
Further north in Eureka, a teacher said her students had practiced safety drills in case a similar situation were to occur. However, she didn't realize how "scary" it would have been.
"This was the longest, hardest one we felt in a while, and it was really scary," said Nathalie Racanelli. "But the kids were able to stay calm, and we all safely evacuated to the field afterward."
-Gia Vang and Jocelyn Moran, NBC Bay Area News
