A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck rural Northern California on Wednesday morning, the strongest in the region since 1940, rattling Mendocino County near Redwood Valley and causing injuries, widespread shaking, and power outages, officials said.
Emergency officials confirmed that there were some injuries, but reported no deaths and no immediate major structural damage, according to the Mendocino County Executive Office. Heather Rose, a county spokesperson, said hospitals reported injuries but did not release details on severity or number.
The quake hit at 8:10 a.m. and was initially measured at magnitude 6.0 before being downgraded to 5.6 by the U.S. Geological Survey. It was centered about 7 miles northwest of Willits and roughly 6.8 miles north of Redwood Valley at a depth of about 5 miles. The shaking was widely felt across Northern California, including coastal communities such as Fort Bragg.
Power outages affected more than 6,000 residents in six towns near the epicenter, the Mendocino County Executive Office said. Officials encouraged people to stay off highways and roads so crews could inspect for damage and make repairs.
Brie Leon and her colleagues had just opened Club Calpella Restaurant when the building began shaking, rattling plates and liquor bottles.
“I had just turned the open sign on and went back into the kitchen, and that’s when it happened,” she said. “It almost felt like something hit the building.”
The restaurant is in Calpella, California, a town about 10 miles (16 kilometers) south of the epicenter and in a region of Mendocino County that has been struck by smaller quakes this year.
This was the biggest earthquake in nearly nine decades in the region, which is not on a major fault, said Lucy Jones, a veteran California seismologist.
“The Governor’s Office is closely coordinating with emergency officials and assessing potential impacts and damage,” the office stated.