UPDATE, 2:30 p.m.: Rio Dell is “Doing OK”

The City of Rio Dell is reporting “minor” earthquake-related damage around town. Reached by phone just a few minutes ago, Rio Dell City Manager Kyle Knopp said there was a gas leak at Monument Middle School shortly after the earthquake struck, prompting a school closure. While the source of the leak remains unknown, Knopp said city staff were quick to shut it down.

“We’ve had a bunch of welfare calls regarding the power outage and issues with water heaters,” Knopp said, adding that power had been restored to much of the city. “Overall, damage reports are nowhere near what they were during the Dec. 20, 2022, earthquake. … We don’t have any critical damage to our water or wastewater system.”

Knopp reported a “fairly significant” crack in Blue Slide Road but said the road is still open, though traffic will likely be reduced to one-way controlled traffic for emergency repairs. 

“A lot of people are driving really fast around town and these roads have shifted, so I just want to ask the community to please slow down,” Knopp added. 

If you live in Rio Dell and your home was damaged in the earthquake, be sure to report it to the city at 707-763-3532.

— Isabella Vanderheiden

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UPDATE, 1:35 p.m.: Groceries Down in Shelter Cove

Lots of groceries tumbled off the shelves at the Shelter Cove General Store, but they’re reporting on Facebook that the store is back open. Quick turnaround, folks!


— Ryan Burns

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UPDATE, 1:23 p.m.: Ferndale’s Caroline Titus, Reporting for Twitter

— Hank Sims

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UPDATE, 1:01 p.m.: School Status

The Humboldt County Office of Education is trying to curate a spreadsheet of which schools are closed and which are open today and tomorrow. You can find it here.

Quite a number of schools in the Eel River Valley and along the coast sent their kids home today. The spreadsheet is currently reporting that Ferndale schools will be closed tomorrow, but you should probably check back later before taking that as gospel.

— Hank Sims

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UPDATE, 12:35 p.m.: Well, That Was Interesting

The view from Table Bluff of the mostly calm ocean during this morning’s tsunami warning | Video: Andrew Goff

At this point, it’s looking like a pretty small bill for a 7.0 earthquake. The power is out in a lot of places, and it seems more than likely that Mike McGuire’s intel — that some homes have left their foundations in the Eel River Valley — will prove to be true. We’ll know more soon, obviously.

To me, the big novelty with this quake was the mass exodus from low-lying areas in Eureka and Arcata. Traffic was really thick on the highway and through Eureka’s side streets. People have not yet made their way back, largely. If you ever wanted your choice of prime parking in Old Town, now’s your opportunity!

It was a good drill for The Big One. This was not The Big One.

Old Town deserted after the quake. Video: Roger Harrell.

— Hank Sims

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UPDATE, 12:28 p.m.:

Sen. Mike McGuire tweets that he’s heard of some homes in the Eel River Valley that parted with their foundations.

— Hank Sims

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UPDATE, 12:20 p.m.: Widespread Power Outatges

More than 10,000 PG&E customers in Humboldt County are currently without power, according to the website poweroutage.us, which tracks such data.

— Ryan Burns

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UPDATE, 12:07 p.m.: TSUNAMI WARNING CANCELED

There is no longer a danger of tsunami, says NOAA.

— Hank Sims

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UPDATE, 12:07 p.m.: Aftershocks Keep Rolling In

Map via USGS.



Dozens Hundreds of aftershocks have followed this morning’s 7.0 magnitude earthquake, which is receiving national news coverage. 

The United States Geological Survey’s earthquake website is keeping tabs on those measuring 3.0 and higher. 

— Ryan Burns

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The National Weather Service has issued a tsunami warning for a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that rocked Humboldt County just before 11 a.m. If you’re in a coastal area, move inland to higher ground. The warning is expected to end at 12:30 p.m.

“Tsunami warnings mean that a tsunami with significant inundation is possible or is already occurring,” according to an alert from NWS.  “Tsunamis are a series of waves dangerous many hours after initial arrival time. The first wave may not be the largest.”

Traffic is backed up along Highway 101 here in Eureka, but as far as we can tell, all major thoroughfares remain open. Several power outages are also being reported across the county. 

We’ll continue to update this post as new information comes in. Send pictures of earthquake damage to news@lostcoastoutpost.com or drop them in the comment section.