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Rural part of Northern California shaken by earthquake
AP News • • general
Key Points:
- A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck Northern California near Willits, Mendocino County, marking the strongest quake in the area since 1940, with a depth of about 5 miles and occurring at 8:10 a.m. PT.
- The quake caused some injuries and power outages affecting over 6,000 residents in six towns, though no major damage has been reported so far; officials are assessing the situation and advising residents to stay off roads to allow repair crews to work.
- The earthquake was widely felt, including in Fort Bragg and nearby towns like Calpella, where businesses experienced shaken interiors and falling items; smaller aftershocks followed the main quake.
- Seismologist Lucy Jones noted the region is not on a major fault and typically experiences smaller quakes, with aftershocks expected but likely to remain low in magnitude.
- Nearly 657,000 earthquake early warning alerts were issued across Northern California via the MyShake App, with emergency services coordinating response efforts and monitoring for further impacts.
