Deaths, Damages Reported After 6.4 Magnitude Northern California Earthquake

Two people have died and thousands are still without power in Humboldt County, California, after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck the area in the early morning of Dec. 20 causing widespread damage to property and roads in the area.

The temblor stuck about 7.5 miles from Ferndale, a small historic village on the northern coast about 130 miles from the Oregon border. Residents reported violent shaking that moved north to south, causing two businesses in the Victorian 19th Century historic downtown area to break and a nearby bridge to close.

Ferndale City Councilman Phillip Ostler told The Epoch Times he was in bed at his historic home built in 1875 when the quake struck at 2:34 a.m.

“I thought I was going to die,” Ostler said. “It shook like it was the end of the world, but it didn’t wreck my place or my tenant’s place.”

About 11 people were injured and two people died as a result of medical emergencies occurring during or just after the earthquake, according to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office.

The town of about 1,300 people came together to check on each other right after the quake struck. Within five minutes, people were out on the streets checking on the elderly residents, Ostler said.

“Everybody pretty much knows everybody, even the new people,” Ostler said.

The quake shattered storefront windows at two businesses on Main Street—Valley Grocery and Transcon Environmental—but most buildings did not sustain damage, according to a local newspaper.

“We’re very fortunate it was just a very violent north/south shaking,” said publisher and editor Caroline Titus of The Ferndale Enterprise.

Titus posted video and photos of the event on social media showing her Victorian home strewn with scattered debris. The town had received more damage two years ago during a 6.2 earthquake that hit on the same day, Dec. 20, 2021, she said. That tumbler struck offshore in the Cape Mendocino area of Northern California, followed by aftershocks.

“We’ve been through this a lot,” Titus said. “We’re very fortunate we have such a caring community. Everybody is just waiting for power to come back on.”

As of 9 a.m., crews from Pacific Power and Electric (PG&E) were working to restore power and gas services to about 71,850 customers in the area, company spokeswoman told The Epoch Times in an email. Power was expected to be restored in 12 to 24 hours, the company said.

“Our assessment could take several days,” PG&E Spokeswoman Mayra Tostado said.

State transportation officials closed State Route 211—the road across Fernbridge, a historic bridge opened in 1911 that serves as the main gateway to the small village—after the road cracked across both lanes.

Drivers were forced to take an alternate route around the city. CalTrans crews were inspecting the bridge and planned to update the public later in the afternoon. All other state roadways remained open, CalTrans reported.

About 8 miles east of Ferndale in the City of Fortuna, some residents were without city water after over 10 main water lines broke during the event, according to a public works representative.

One small subdivision with about 26 homes was without water due to mechanical failure, the public works official reported. City crews were still in the early stage of assessing the damage to the other damaged water main lines, he said.

Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services warned residents to be prepared for aftershocks.

The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services was working with local officials, tribal governments, and state agencies to provide resources, a spokeswoman said in a video posted to social media.

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office was expected to release more details about the earthquake at a press conference at 2 p.m.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.