5.6-magnitude earthquake in Mendocino County

REDWOOD VALLEY, Calif. - The USGS registered an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.6 in Mendocino County on Wednesday morning, with some minor damage reported including cracked home structures, knocked-out power, broken water pipes and fallen pictures and vases. 

Large quake

What we know:

The earthquake was reported about 8:15 a.m. in Redwood Valley, nine miles north of Ukiah, the county seat, which lies along the Russian River and is about 115 miles north of San Francisco. A MyShake Alert initially said the quake clocked in at 6.0.

"That was the biggest earthquake I have felt in my life," Moneca Vargas at Saint Mary's Catholic School in Ukiah said. "And I’ve lived in Ukiah for most of my 54 years. My whole house shook." 

Because the quake was so far inland, meteorologists believe there would be no tsunami warning. At its peak, 10,000 PG&E customers were without power. There were no reports of major damage to any buildings or infrastructure. 

The epicenter of the earthquake is very close to the Maacama Fault, one of Northern California’s major strike-slip faults.

UC Berkeley Seismology Lab research scientist Amy Williamson said this is the largest quake on this fault, which is an extension of the Hayward Fault, in 75 years.

Felt like a ‘freight train’ 

What they're saying:

A resident of Redwood Valley said their roof caved in. Another person sent in photos of a tumbled picture and plant on the ground. In nearby Potter Valley, about 20 miles north-east of Ukiah, pictures and vases fell off walls and shelves.

Daniel Alonzo in Ukiah said it felt like the structure of his house had cracked. 

"Everything just shook," he said in a phone interview. "It was very severe, very scary. Almost like a freight train was running right through our house."

He said he got almost dizzy from the shaking – it felt like he was on a roller coaster.

Alonzo called his family members to make sure they were OK, and he said many neighbors ran outside.

Holly Woods of Kelseyville, about 40 miles from Ukiah, said she was cuddling with her dogs when she felt the earthquake and her house shaking.

"It rock-n-rolled us," she said. "Stuff flew down. It was very scary." 

Dave Martin said his son works at the Safeway store in Willits, about 30 miles north of Ukiah, which he described as "a mess" with several broken water lines.

The store evacuated and employees were waiting for first responders to check for gas or electricity issues. 

Willits Mayor Tom Allman and former Mendocino County Sheriff, said he was watching people cleaning up glass and cleaning up shelves. Roughly 5,000 people were without power in his city and surrounding area.

He was at breakfast at a local café when the quake hit. It was about a 6-second shake. The pictures and coffee cups fell.

Willits residents began checking on each other.

"We're through it," Allman said. "I'm feeling good." 

Aftershocks expected

PG&E spokeswoman Tamar Sarkissian said there was no damage to PG&E critical facilities in Vacaville, the gas system or generating assets. 

As of 8:45, approximately 8,000 customers in Mendocino County are without electric power. This is down from approximately 10,000 earlier in the day.

With a 5.6-magnitude quake, it’s very normal to expect numerous aftershocks with magnitudes of up to 4.0. 

Robert Michael De Groot, a physical scientist with the USGS, said that this is "earthquake country" and people should definitely be prepared for more shaking.