Northern California Rocked By 7.0 Quake, Destructive Aftershocks, and Response

FELTON — A powerful magnitude 7.0 earthquake rocked the coast of Northern California on Monday morning, sending fear through the tiny town of Ferndale and some other areas and causing significant damage. The quake hit at about 1400 ET (9:00 GMT), with its epicenter in the ocean off Humboldt County, as shown by this screen capture of a US Geological Survey map. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported the quake, one of the strongest to have hit California in years, around 11:20 a.m., rattling a broad region and leading all the way to Las Vegas.

Early reports warning of a possible tsunami were later canceled. But the quake also created a swath of alarm, prompting state and local authorities to plan for their part of another urgent national urban recovery operation.

Ferndale: A Town in Turmoil

The quake hit Ferndale, a town renowned for its Victorian buildings. Residents said the scene was hectic and disastrous. The shaking was severe, causing heavy items to crash to the floor and strong furniture to topple all around rooms, while walls showed stress and cracking.

Innkeeper of the historic Gingerbread Mansion Inn, Olivia Cobian, described her experience of being right in the middle of the disaster. The inn "looked very much like a warzone on the inside," she said.

"The fireplaces are huge cast iron ones that have actually been lifted up and taken over. Everything has fallen senselessly, broken glass everywhere."

The beautiful Victorian-era architecture that lines the streets in Ferndale can be more susceptible to seismic activity or a significant tremor because of its age. The town has many buildings which are not earthquake resilient, as the modern reinforcement did not exist when most of them were constructed, making such structures likely to be very badly damaged by even moderate tremors. People rushed out to find their homes and town in ruins in the minutes after the quake.

Aftershocks Rock the Region

As the hours ticked by after the quake struck, another 200 aftershocks would ripple out through the region, unsettling residents even more. Aftershocks occur due to the natural process of seismic activity, but their randomness only adds more unease and fear on top of a previously massive quake. Now, every aftershock starts the cycle all over again: checking on friends, waking up parents, diffusing rumors, yet another review of the damage.

As hundreds of aftershocks chilled nerves, the continued shudders were a grim indicator of just how seismically unstable this part of the world is. However, experts said aftershocks can sometimes be of significant magnitudes, which in some cases results in further structural damage or even collapsed already weakened buildings.

Search & Rescue / Initial Damage Assessments

Teams of first responders went into the field in Humboldt County immediately after to assess damage and safety issues. Local officials were first tasked with examining the roads, bridges, and any critical infrastructure for stability. The initial word late tonight was that there were no major structural collapses, but some reports of destruction, especially in Ferndale.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom was briefed on the incident and worked with state emergency officials to help coordinate a response, his office said. Relief efforts sent resources and emergency teams, such as structural engineers and medical personnel, to impacted regions. The activation of the Earthquake Emergency Plan means that state emergency resources would be made available if local responders needed them, the California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) said.

In the hours following the quake, efforts had been ramped up to secure residents, evacuate waste, and assess immediate necessities like power restoration. They also said utility crews were out checking natural gas lines and the electrical power grid and that scattered outages were reported around the area.

California's Seismic Reality

Earthquakes are common on the U.S. West Coast, namely California. The state lies on the Ring of Fire, an area with a lot of tectonic activity that produces earthquakes and volcanoes. Aftershocks are normal, particularly in Northern California, given that it is a hotbed for seismic activity at times due to the fact it sits near the Mendocino Triple Junction, which serves as the meeting point of three major tectonic plates: the Pacific Plate, the North American Plate, and the Gorda Plate.

Though the vast majority of these tremors are harmless, California is a hotspot for catastrophic earthquakes. The most famous was a magnitude 6.7 quake in Northridge, near Los Angeles, in 1994. The result was major structural damage, dozens of deaths, and thousands injured, leading to widespread changes to building codes and emergency response systems.

Preparedness and Early Warning Systems

Preparedness is based on early warning data to create early action for communities living in disaster-prone areas for improved resilience. California's evolution in how it prepares for earthquakes has been vast. ShakeAlert and other modern seismic warning systems are finally starting to be deployed that can offer residents valuable seconds of advance alert before the quake. These are warning signals that warn people about the impending danger and give them time to take shelter in some safe place.

For this latest tremor, however, numerous people said they received alerts before they felt the shaking. Though the alert time is less than 10 seconds, it could be enough for people to take cover — the key message now that we know how to prepare for a quake.

A Title Lacking the Necessity for Care

The pride in Ferndale's history, at the same time, however, also makes it more susceptible during an earthquake. The city is home to many of its landmark early-20th-century buildings that were constructed long before modern seismic safety standards of the late 1970s.

Given the complexity and cost of earthquake retrofits for historic structures, it can be difficult to know where to begin. Although some progress has been achieved, many of the buildings in Ferndale are still in jeopardy. Calls for funding for ways to support retrofitting the buildings so that the town's heritage can be kept but safety ensured become stronger following the globe's experience with this newest earthquake.

The Psychological Toll

In addition to any impossible repairs, the mental damage done by earthquakes on those who are directly affected can be enormous. Seismic events come out of nowhere with a power that leaves the citizen defenseless and indeterminate. With each aftershock, it's clear residents are still on edge, bracing for more shaking.

Mental health experts emphasize that we should give attention to the emotional impacts of earthquakes. A few ways communities rally together include counseling services and counselors offering their time for free, as well as statements from public officials that reveal plain facts about the devastation.

The Way Forward: COVID-Related Building Resilience

Now, as recovery work unfolds in Ferndale and beyond, officials are looking to the future. From the flanks of volcano eruptions to earthquakes beneath urban areas like Northern California, these restless landscapes require constant adjustment due to the omnipresent risk of seismic activity.

Here are some of the key strategies to develop resilience:

Infrastructure Strengthening: Upgrading older buildings and designing new structures to meet current earthquake-resistance regulations is important. This includes the seismic-resistant design of transportation infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, and utility systems.

Improve Early Warning Systems: Additional spending to advance the technology for early warning systems capable of predicting earthquakes, so people in an affected area can evacuate or stay safe, will continue to save lives.

Community Preparedness: Creating awareness among citizens by educating them on disaster safety and advocating residents to keep emergency kits, as well as participating in regular drills, can help communities respond better at times of crisis.

Fundamentally, state and federal programs should provide financial relief to people and businesses who lose money in an earthquake, as well as funding for resilience initiatives.

A Call to Action

Northern California's 7.0 magnitude earthquake was an urgent reminder to the region of its seismic reality. This was about recovery and reconstruction, though the importance also lies in having continued focus on relief as well as development to tackle earthquake-prone Nepal.

Ferndale, a community with a major history, will not soon forget this disaster. However, as the people of Puerto Rico pick up the pieces and come back to a state of normality for their lives, they do so with an understanding — that being prepared plus residual efforts are what will keep one standing when the next inevitable aftershocks roll through.

This is both a wake-up call for Northern California and beyond, serving as yet another reminder that Mother Nature will never be entirely predictable in precisely how she delivers her messages, and an opportunity to rededicate our efforts to preparing for seismic disaster — not by encouraging human sacrifice, but by becoming more vigilant over and against future shocks.

Written by Steve McNair