6.5 quake shakes buildings on California coast

FRESNO, Calif – A 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Northern California Saturday afternoon, shaking buildings south of the Oregon border and knocking out power in several coastal communities.


The powerful quake hit at about 4:27 p.m. PST about 22 miles from Ferndale, the U.S. Geological Survey said.


Authorities in the nearby city of Eureka and other area communities said no major injuries have been reported. But several people received minor cuts and scrapes from broken glass at the Bayshore Mall in Eureka, fire spokesman Gary Bird said.


"There are some frayed nerves, but I think we've come through this pretty well for the magnitude of earthquake we've had," he said.


Pacific Gas & Electric Co. spokesman J.D. Guidi said power outages were widespread across most of Humboldt County, affecting about 25,000 customers.


Several traffic lights fell and numerous residents reported water, gas and sewer leaks, Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services spokeswoman Jo Wattle said.


"People have chimneys down, and we're hearing about minor property damage and lots of glassware broken," Wattle said. "People are really shaken up. It was shaking pretty good, then it had a big jolt to it at the end."


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100110...5bl9oZWFkbGluZV9saXN0BHNsawM2NXF1YWtlc2hha2U-

I think that is the second earthquake in a week that I should have felt but didn't. Seems pretty big that we would have felt it in the North Bay???

I'm in the Bay Area and haven't felt them either Ziggy. Seems "The Ring of Fire" has become quite active lately.

It's been 20 years since the big 7.1 quake we had and it's been relatively quiet in those years. Looks like maybe we are building up to something.

I grew up in Eureka, and my parents still live there. I was talking to my sister in Davis, CA when it happened. My mother called my bro-in-law from her cell phone, to say they are okay, it was longer than usual (at least she thought so) and it was a strong one...and a lot of things in the house have fallen. They lost power.

They've had earthquake damage to their home before, so I'm hoping they didn't have a lot this time. I haven't heard from them yet, but I know they were okay as of last night, so that's good.

I don't like earthquakes. Weird how they "roll" - at least most I've been in.

DEPUTYDAWG said:

I grew up in Eureka, and my parents still live there. I was talking to my sister in Davis, CA when it happened. My mother called my bro-in-law from her cell phone, to say they are okay, it was longer than usual (at least she thought so) and it was a strong one...and a lot of things in the house have fallen. They lost power.

They've had earthquake damage to their home before, so I'm hoping they didn't have a lot this time. I haven't heard from them yet, but I know they were okay as of last night, so that's good.

I don't like earthquakes. Weird how they "roll" - at least most I've been in.

Click to expand...

I'm glad your folks are okay. 6.5 is strong. I believe this one was on the San Andreas fault which is huge and very powerful.

Just talked to my mom. They actually got power back on late last night, so that was good. They live in a 2-story house; she was downstairs and Dad was upstairs. She's one-month post-op for hip replacement surgery, so as she said, she couldn't just duck under a table quickly :crazy: She said it was long, and a strong one. A lot of things fell down, but other than a few minor cracks, she hasn't seen anything significant as far as damage. They've had structural damage before, so I'm glad there wasn't much this time.

Yes, the stores and the Bayshore Mall will be closed for a few more days.

Oh, Dad told her the upstairs is a mess, basically everything was shaken off the shelves, etc. in their offices, etc...but she said since she's had the surgery and can't bend over to pick things up, she's just not going to worry about it, LOL.

Glad there were no deaths (known), no major bridges out this time (transportation issues are a hassle up there when Hwy 101 gets closed), etc. No fires due to gas leaks have been reported, either. They're dealing with aftershocks, but not feeling very big, she said.

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Had someone heard about a smaller EQ just 1-2 hrs south of there (maybe around Garberville) a few days after 1/1? Someone told me that and said they really felt CA was going to be moving/shaking a lot this year. Eeek.

Ever since Loma Prieta I am freaked out by them. I did live in the South for 9years and think Earthquakes are less scary than tornados because you may have a warning but those things will DESTROY everything in their path. At least with quakes there is damage but rarely total destruction.

I hope we do not shake much this year; time to not stop under the overpasses at lights again. I hate sitting under those giant cement structures thinking they could fall on me any minute!

I was married to a CHP officer at the time of the 1989 quake. He was stationed in Hayward, and worked 36 hrs straight on the Bay Bridge. I've seen pictures of him in crevices, etc. I must say, it's affected him since that time. Was never claustrophobic before that; now he can't handle being in confined spaces, etc.

You're right. Once you live through something like that, one doesn't look at those structures the same.

== PRELIMINARY EARTHQUAKE REPORT ==



Region: SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Geographic coordinates: 33.967N, 116.876W
Magnitude: 4.3 Ml
Depth: 7 km
Universal Time (UTC): 12 Jan 2010 02:36:08
Time near the Epicenter: 11 Jan 2010 18:36:08
Local standard time in your area: 12 Jan 2010 02:36:08

Location with respect to nearby cities:
4 km (3 miles) NNE (27 degrees) of Banning, CA
10 km (6 miles) ENE (62 degrees) of Beaumont, CA
12 km (7 miles) WNW (302 degrees) of Cabazon, CA
33 km (20 miles) E (82 degrees) of Moreno Valley, CA
127 km (79 miles) E (94 degrees) of Los Angeles Civic Center, CA