Tsunami warning for Northern California, Oregon canceled

A rare tsunami warning issued for coastal areas in Northern California and Oregon was canceled following a 7.0 magnitude earthquake on Thursday morning.

Gov. Gavin Newsom was briefed on the quake that occurred north of San Francisco in Humboldt County, and was meeting with emergency officials, his office said. The quake prompted the tsunami warning from Davenport to 10 miles south of Florence, Oregon.

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office initially warned residents to evacuate the area before the alert was rescinded. However, the agency did warn people in the area to be prepared for aftershocks. 

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The warning was canceled about 1.5 hours after the earthquake. 

“The tsunami Warning is canceled for the coastal areas of California and Oregon,” the National Weather Service wrote on X. “No tsunami danger presently exists for this area. This will be the final U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center message for this event.”

The earthquake struck about 10:45 a.m. in the city of Petrolia, roughly 50 miles from Eureka. 

“If you are located in this coastal area, move inland to higher ground,” the National Weather Service warning read.

The NWS initially warned of powerful waves that could impact coastal areas. The warning forced the San Francisco Zoo to close. 

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“Guests have been evacuated, animals secured and staff have moved to higher ground,” it said on social media. 

The city’s emergency management agency warned people to stay out of the water and away from beaches, harbors, marina docks, and piers and move at least one block inland. 

“We are activating our Emergency Operations Center in response to the Tsunami Warning. Please move off the coast and at least one block inland,” San Francisco Mayor London Breed wrote on X. “Public safety personnel are deploying to the coast to warn people to move inland. We will continue to provide updates as we have them.”

No tsunami warning was issued for San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura or Los Angeles counties, but the areas were still being evaluated for potential tsunami impacts, the state Office of Emergency Management said. 

Despite the cancelation of the warning, authorities recommended everyone to stay away from coastal areas because of rising tides.