A social media user posted a video of waves in her pool following an earthquake in California on Thursday.
Authorities in San Francisco and other northern California communities issued a tsunami warning after a 7.0 earthquake was reported by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The X, formerly Twitter, user, @anatlus89, posted a video that she called “crazy.” The waves are still active 10 minutes after the earthquake, she wrote.
“Since when is our pool a wave pool omg this is crazy. It’s still rolling 10 min later there’s apparently a 6.0 near the coast 😬 #earthquake #california,” @anatlus89 posted to X.
An emergency alert was sent out to people’s phones in the area by the National Weather Service about the tsunami warning. X user @sfxbritt called the alert “scarier than the actual earthquake” because of how loud it was.
“A series of powerful waves and strong currents may impact coasts near you,” the alert read. “You are in danger. Get away from coastal waters. Move to high ground or inland now. Keep away from the coast until local officials say it is safe to return.”
The quake struck about 40 miles west of Petrolia, a small unincorporated community in Humboldt County at 10:44 a.m. local time, according to the UGSG. The National Tsunami Warning Center issued an alert telling people in the affected region to move to higher ground. The warning extends from Davenport, California, to Florence, Oregon.
United States Geological Survey USGS
People in the San Francisco Bay area reported on social media that there were building evacuations in progress. The San Francisco Zoo said it was evacuating guests and securing animals before staff moved to high ground.
“The Zoo has closed due to national weather emergency and tsunami warning,” the San Francisco attraction posted. “Guests have been evacuated, animals secured and staff have moved to higher ground.”
X user NorthWindAerial posted after he received the alert about the earthquake. His pool overflowed.
“That’s a new one,” he said in the video.
Other users like @cryptovondoom also showed waves in their in-ground pools.
Inside buildings, people are also seeing effects. Sarah Stierch posted that while she did not feel the earthquake, the office lights “sure rocked here in Sonoma.”
Sonoma, California, is above San Francisco and 232 miles south Petrolia, where the earthquake hit.
People in Sacramento, California, like TikTok user Valerie Adenua, said the earthquake was felt there. Sacramento is 272 miles from Petrolia.
“My dog started barking like crazy, then our light was all the sudden moving,” Adenua captioned a video. “We could feel the earthquake in Sacramento from where it actually hit which was in Redding, CA!”
Listos California, which works to mobilize residents in the wake of wildfire, earthquake and flooding threats, suggests that people may need to evacuate.
“If you are near the coast after an #earthquake, you may need to evacuate as soon as the shaking stops,” the organization posted to X. “Earthquakes can lead to #tsunami, and you should not return until there is an all clear announcement.”
