Northern California coastal evacuations lifted after quake prompts tsunami warning
A tsunami warning for the Northern California coast prompted by a major earthquake that struck in the ocean off Humboldt County Thursday morning has been lifted, officials said.
The earthquake, which had a preliminary magnitude of 7.0, struck at 10:44 a.m. in the ocean west of the community of Petrolia. Multiple aftershocks have also been reported.
Residents on both sides of the bay in San Francisco and Oakland confirmed feeling the earthquake.
The earthquake prompted a tsunami warning for much of the coast, stretching from Monterey County northward into Oregon. Many Bay Area residents' phones gave an alarming buzz when the National Weather Service warning was received along with an equally alarming message.
Under a heading in bold that said "Emergency alert: Extreme," the terse text warned "You are in danger. Get away from coastal waters. Move to high ground or inland now."
Around noon, the U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center announced that the warning has been lifted.
During the warning, authorities in Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo counties told people along beaches and low-lying areas to move to higher around and avoid coastal areas.
In Santa Cruz, authorities cleared the main beach, taping off entrances with police tape. Chopper footage over San Mateo County showed bumper-to-bumper traffic on California highways 1 and 92 in the Half Moon Bay area as residents headed to higher ground.
The San Francisco Zoo near Ocean Beach announced that guests were evacuated from the facility and animals and staff moved to higher ground. The Exploratorium along the San Francisco waterfront was one of a number of businesses and attractions in the region that temporarily closed as a result of the warning.
The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management used the warning as a teachable moment, posting on X about where the city's tsunami inundation zones are along with a link to more information on how to prepare for a tsunami.
"This time, the Tsunami Warning was cancelled. Next time, it might not be," the post read. "Take it as a reminder to prepare."
While the tsunami warning was canceled, there was still significant quake damage in the northern part of the state. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday proclaimed a state of emergency in Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties to support the emergency response to the earthquake.
Along with the orders to leave the coast, the earthquake has also impacted Bay Area Rapid Transit service, including the closure of the Transbay Tube.
Shortly before 11 a.m., the agency announced that service was stopped in the tunnel connecting Oakland and San Francisco. Several minutes later, BART announced that there was a "major delay" in all directions and that the tube remained closed.
Normal service along BART was restored shortly before noon.