California earthquake live: Tsunami warning lifted after 7.0-magnitude quake hits
Breaking Update: Northern California hit by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake
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A powerful 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Northern California late Thursday morning.
Following the earthquake that occurred at 10:45 a.m., located more than 60 miles west-southwest of Ferndale in Humboldt County, a tsunami alert was announced for a large area along the West Coast. This warning impacted a stretch ranging from Oregon down to central California, affecting over 5.3 million residents in California.
The National Weather Service lifted the warnings just a few minutes later.
The agency reported that over 1.3 million individuals were close enough to the earthquake to experience its effects. While there were no initial accounts of significant damage or injuries, some shopkeepers mentioned that their merchandise had been damaged.
Olivia Cobian, the owner of Ferndale's Gingerbread Mansion, expressed to The Los Angeles Times that her property resembled a battlefield.
In San Francisco, the Bay Area Rapid Transit District, referred to as BART, faced significant disruptions in service.
Visitors at the San Francisco Zoo were evacuated, the animals were safely contained, and the staff relocated to elevated areas.
Mayor London Breed set up the city's Emergency Operations Center after receiving the alerts. She recommended that residents evacuate the coastal area and go at least one block further inland.
In collaboration with The Associated Press
California Issues Tsunami Warnings After Quakes
During a news conference on Thursday, California Governor Gavin Newsom stated that the state's procedure is to issue tsunami warnings whenever an earthquake with a magnitude greater than 5.0 occurs in a coastal area.
He mentioned that he had issued a state of emergency for the area.
"It's a reminder of the environment we're in and the mindset we should adopt in our everyday lives," he said to the press.
Julia Musto posted on December 5, 2024, at 10:00 PM.
BART Reports 10-Minute Delay
Julia Musto, December 5, 2024, 9:48 PM
Senior In San Francisco Escapes After Major Quake
Eighty-six-year-old Carol Ruth Silver, a resident of San Francisco, quickly hopped into a car and made her way to a nearby hilltop after receiving the tsunami alert this morning, as reported by Io Dodds of The Independent, who also resides in the city.
Silver was enjoying her morning coffee and oatmeal when she received a notification. Just as she was processing the information, a friend dropped by and shared the US government's official danger map, which displayed the entire San Francisco peninsula highlighted in vivid red.
In reality, the designated evacuation area was significantly smaller and confined to the low-lying coastal regions. However, lacking a definitive understanding of the tsunami's potential impact, Silver, along with her friend and a relative, decided to move to higher ground.
"It was really terrifying," she explained to The Independent. "The message warned us that we were at risk and needed to evacuate immediately. It didn’t specify how high the threat would rise... My immediate reaction was to leave as soon as possible!"
Perched in Corona Heights Park, overlooking the Castro LGBT+ neighborhood, the gathering had a clear sight of the scene below, which turned out to be quite uneventful.
"We could relax and pay attention to the alerts until we found out that whatever was meant to happen had already occurred," Silver remarked.
Even though her home in the Mission District wasn't at risk, Silver feels relieved that she respected the situation and chose to leave.
"She emphasized that living in California means we are situated above faults in the Earth's crust, and we must always be prepared for evacuation."
Just be sure to remember to bring your materials.
"I own a vivid red emergency backpack filled with a first aid kit, some water, and other essentials," Silver explains. "I really should have brought it along, but I didn't."
Sure! Here’s a rewritten version: "Io Dodds, December 5, 2024, at 9:45 PM."
This Year Sees Many Earthquakes Above 7.0
In August, an earthquake of similar strength occurred in Russia, while a 7.1 magnitude quake impacted the Hyuganada Sea in Japan.
In July, Chile experienced a 7.4 magnitude earthquake, following a 7.1 quake that hit the Philippines.
In June, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Peru.
The earlier months were mostly calm, apart from a 7.4 magnitude earthquake in Taiwan, a 7.0 in China, and a 7.5 off the Noto Peninsula in Japan.
Julia Musto, December 5, 2024, 9:30 PM
USGS Scientist: Big Quake Followed By Aftershocks
In a press conference, Stephen DeLong, a geologist from the USGS Earthquake Science Center, reported that a significant earthquake occurred, which was then succeeded by numerous smaller aftershocks.
DeLong mentioned that it’s still too soon to accurately evaluate the extent of the damage, as reported by The New York Times.
The agency's website indicated that numerous minor earthquakes occurred across California.
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California's Tsunami Map Website Faces Outages
According to The San Francisco Chronicle, the tsunami map website run by the California Department of Conservation faced technical difficulties on Thursday morning following the issuance of tsunami warnings along the California coastline.
It showed an error notification.
Julia Musto, December 5, 2024, at 9:11 PM.
Tsunami Map Reveals Potential San Francisco Devastation
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"Breed: San Francisco's Emergency Center Monitoring"
Julia Musto, December 5, 2024, 8:58 PM
Evacuation Orders In Berkeley Are Lifted
The Berkeley Police Department advised residents living west of Seventh Street to move inland right away and to take only what was necessary.
Berkeleyside reported that waves were expected to hit the area around midday.
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How Did The Earthquake Feel?
Kaitlin Graves, who works at the Petrolia General Store, mentioned that the tremors were strong and only lasted about 10 seconds.
"It was a massive quake. There was a lot of shaking, going up and down," Graves shared during a phone call with The Los Angeles Times. "It felt similar to that disorienting sensation you experience when you're in an elevator."
Social media users stated that they experienced it for a significantly longer period.
Sure, here’s a rewritten version of the blog section you mentioned: Julia Musto, December 5, 2024, 8:52 PM
