A strong earthquake and brief tsunami threat rattles Northern California

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Earthquake leaves Northern California with ‘emergency whiplash’

Tens of thousands of Northern Californians had a harrowing morning on Thursday, which may be putting it mildly.

First came the rattling from a magnitude 7 underwater earthquake off the coast of Humboldt County just before 10:45 a.m. The powerful temblor caused power outages and broke water lines in some communities, plus knocked plenty of products off store shelves. But no major injuries or damage were reported as of yesterday afternoon.

Soon after the initial shaking, residents’ cellphones began their own rattling, blaring a warning: There was now the threat of a tsunami along a wide stretch of the Pacific Coast — from northern Santa Cruz County and extending well into Oregon.

Over roughly the next hour, government agencies were busy alerting residents to seek higher ground. Firefighters ordered Bay Area beachgoers to evacuate. The San Francisco Zoo was evacuated and closed. Train service through an underwater tunnel was shut down. Boat owners scrambled to get their vessels out of the harbor.

Then about an hour later, the National Weather Service had an update: The warning was canceled as “no tsunami danger presently exists” along the coastline.

That left some feeling what my colleagues Grace Toohey and Hannah Wiley described as “emergency whiplash,” mixed with confusion.

“But officials say that they followed the correct protocol to respond to a potentially dangerous tsunami and that it was necessary to provide residents adequate time to reach safety,” they reported.

Some in the initial warning zone told The Times that community members didn’t know what they were supposed to do.

The general guidance from the weather service: “Move to high ground or inland (away from the water).”

Thursday morning’s quake was felt throughout the North and Central coasts and as far away as Sacramento, Reno and southern Oregon. It was followed by multiple aftershocks.

Olivia Cobian runs a bed-and-breakfast in the historic town of Ferndale and told Times reporters the nearly 130-year-old building “looked like a war zone.”

“Claw tubs that had been lifted off [their mounts] and scooched over,” she said. “This is crazy.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a state of emergency for Del Norte, Humboldt and Mendocino counties to “allow more resources to go where needed for emergency response to this morning’s earthquake.”

Yesterday’s quake and the unnerving hour that followed is a good reminder that there are things we can all do to be a little more prepared — no matter where you are in the Golden State. Here are a few questions to consider:

If you’re newly inspired to work through those questions and more, check out The Times’ handy guide on all things earthquake preparedness.

Today’s top stories

Police officers stand near a body covered by a tarp outside of Feather River Adventist School after a shooting in Oroville.

(Michael Weber / The Chico Enterprise-Record)

A Northern California gunman planned “child executions” at a Christian school, authorities said

• Butte County authorities said they found a statement by the gunman, identified as 56-year-old Glenn Litton, who said the school shooting was in response to “America’s involvements in genocide and oppression of Palestinians” and attacks in Yemen.
• The shooting left two children wounded and ended with the attacker dead. The Butte County sheriff described the gunman as a homeless, mentally ill man with a long criminal record.

Newsom touts California efforts on fentanyl at the border. Will it matter to Trump?

California voters wanted stricter penalties for crime. Can reformers find a new message?

• Despite recent defeats at the ballot box, some reform advocates are confident their movement “doesn’t need a rebrand.”
• Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman, who unseated progressive George Gascón, argued voters shouldn’t have to “choose between prioritizing safety and instituting real and effective criminal justice reform.”

The Forest Service is encouraging people to cut Christmas trees on public lands (with permits)

• Every year, Americans chop down hundreds of thousands of Christmas trees — often for $20 or less. Forest officials say it helps reduce the risk of wildfires.
• The Forest Service sold permits for more than 300,000 Christmas trees in 2023. Here’s how you can obtain a permit.

What else is going on

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This morning’s must reads

(Los Angeles Times; Getty Images)

Two “missing women” cases in Los Angeles went viral online, even as the facts got complicated. In the same week, Chanel Banks and Hannah Kobayashi were reported missing. Banks was found in Texas, while authorities say Kobayashi is “voluntarily missing.”

Other must reads

How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to [email protected].

For your downtime

Temple City High School student Desmond Xie, 14, left, gathers a string of lights to be pulled up into one of the 135 deodar cedar trees that are decorated each year on Altadena’s Christmas Tree Lane.

(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

Going out

Staying in

A question for you: Which famous Californian, living or dead, would you want to have dinner with and why?

Tim Moran writes: “The Californian I would most like to have dinner with is Jerry Brown. During his long political career, Brown has proven to be an independent thinker, a visionary on topics like the environment, and a remarkably resilient politician.”

Elissa writes: “I’d love to have dinner with Nancy Pelosi. What a long, successful amazing career she has had while still being a supportive wife and mother. I could talk to her for hours. Having had four children and then having a career myself, I can’t imagine how she accomplished all that she did.”

And Scott Eadie writes: “ ‘The Getaway’ introduced me to Steve McQueen and became one of my favorite movies of all time. Many years ago I had a dream that I met him in person. It was incredibly vivid, so much so that at times it felt as if it had actually happened.”

Thanks for all the emails this week. It was nice hearing from you!

And finally … your great photo of the day

A “moody” view of Malibu’s El Matador Beach in November.

(Lynn Crosswaite)

Today’s great photo is from Lynn Crosswaite of Los Angeles: the “rocky and wold” El Matador Beach.

Lynn writes: “It’s become a very busy location for engagement photos and Instagram postings. But, the day I was there was the first rainy day of this winter. So, hardly any people and instead of a standard sunset shot, I got this moody one. The rocks look almost prehistoric. That suits me.”

Show us your favorite place in California! Send us photos you have taken of spots in California that are special — natural or human-made — and tell us why they’re important to you.

Have a great day, from the Essential California team

Ryan Fonseca, reporter
Defne Karabatur, fellow
Andrew Campa, Sunday reporter
Hunter Clauss, multiplatform editor
Christian Orozco, assistant editor
Stephanie Chavez, deputy metro editor
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters

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