Items flew off shelves, cellphones blared with tsunami warnings and some people struggled to stay on their feet as a magnitude 7 earthquake rocked Northern California on Thursday.
The quake, centered under the Pacific Ocean about 70 miles southwest of Eureka, frayed nerves across most of California’s North Coast. As the shaking stopped, tsunami warnings began to blare from cellphones, with local officials worried that the strong tremor could spark a second threat.
San Francisco Zoo was evacuated and closed because of the tsunami warning, and the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District temporarily shut down the underwater Transbay Tube. By noon, the agency said on social media that it had resumed normal operations, but that riders should expect delays.
In San Francisco, firefighters scanned the beaches and ordered people to evacuate, while dozens of people gathered at the waterfront to watch the waves roll in. One man was seen watching the crashing waves with his dog, while a lone surfer remained out in the water taking advantage of the large swell.
Tsunami evacuation orders and warnings were issued for residents along the coast in West Berkeley, the Mendocino County coast and Pinole, among others. Before noon, the U.S. Tsunami Warning Center canceled the alert, informing residents there was no tsunami threat after all.
Residents described the shaking as intense, with objects knocked off the shelves and glass items shattered on the ground. “It felt like the woozy feeling you get when you’re in an elevator,” said Kaitlin Graves, an employee at Petrolia General Store about 50 miles south of Eureka.
No major damage or injuries have been reported as of Thursday afternoon, but the magnitude of the quake and series of alerts were a strong reminder about the possibility of a damaging earthquake striking California.
Humboldt County Supervisor Rex Bohn said there has been no major damage reported so far. “It’s a mess. There’s a lot of stuff off the shelves.”
