A powerful 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Northern California on Thursday, sending shockwaves across the region, knocking items off shelves, and causing children to scramble under desks. The temblor, which hit at 10:44 a.m., originated near Ferndale in coastal Humboldt County, about 130 miles from the Oregon border, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. The quake was felt as far south as San Francisco, 270 miles away, where residents reported a rolling motion lasting several seconds. Smaller aftershocks followed, but there were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries. A brief tsunami warning was issued for nearly 500 miles of the West Coast, stretching from California's Monterey Bay to the Oregon border, affecting 5.3 million residents. The warning advised people to move to higher ground, but it was canceled after wave-monitoring gauges confirmed no tsunami threat. In Ferndale, Julie Kreitzer, owner of Golden Gait Mercantile, described significant damage in her store. "It's probably worse than two years ago," she said, referencing a previous quake. "I have to try and salvage something for the holidays because it's going to be a tough year." In Eureka, Mayor Kim Bergel recounted how middle school students took cover under desks as lights swayed during the tremor. "The kids were great but terrified," she said, adding that they were later sent home as a precaution. Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal reported minor damage, including cracked foundations and broken windows, but no major structural collapses or injuries. Santa Cruz authorities cleared beaches, and evacuation orders were issued in several coastal cities, including Eureka and Crescent City. The National Weather Service had warned of "powerful waves and strong currents," but experts later confirmed that the earthquake's strike-slip motion, which causes horizontal movement, made a tsunami unlikely. Northern California's coastline has a long history of tsunamis, including the deadly 1964 wave triggered by an Alaskan earthquake that devastated Crescent City and killed 12 people. More recently, a 2011 tsunami caused by a Japanese earthquake inflicted $100 million in damages along California's coast, much of it in Crescent City. The quake disrupted public services, including the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit system, which temporarily halted trains in all directions through the underwater tunnel between San Francisco and Oakland. Visitors were evacuated from the San Francisco Zoo as a precaution. Sheriff Honsal noted the resilience of the region, known locally as "earthquake country." "It wasn't a sharp jolt. It was a slow roller, but significant," he said. — Agencies
