Panic as earthquake triggers warnings across three US states to ‘drop and cover’

A powerful earthquake hit the US West Coast, triggering urgent warnings for millions to shelter in place amid seismic shockwaves.

The US Geological Survey said a 5.6 magnitude earthquake occurred at 11:10 a.m. Wednesday in Northern California, 190 kilometers north of San Francisco.

Residents in California, Nevada and Oregon reported feeling the tremors caused by the major seismic event.

While the strongest shaking was reported at the quake’s epicenter near Redwood Valley, tremors traveled more than 600 miles up and down the West Coast, reaching Coos Bay in Oregon in the north and Salinas, California, in the south.

This range covers the entire San Francisco Bay Area, which is home to more than seven million people and affects multiple cities, including San Jose, Sacramento, Concord, Oakland, Stockton, and Modesto.

‘This was the biggest earthquake I’ve ever felt in my life, and I’ve lived in Ukiah for most of my 54 years,’ Moneca Vargas of Saint Mary’s Catholic School in Ukiah told KTVU. ‘My whole house shook.’

Other residents close to the source in Northern California compared the shock waves to a ‘freight train’ passing through their homes, causing items to fall off shelves and authorities sounding off the official earthquake warning system for quakes stronger than magnitude 4.5.

While shock waves have reached level seven in certain areas, meaning ‘very strong’ shaking and moderate damage, there are no reports of injuries at this time, according to the USGS.

This is a story of breaking. More details to follow.

Residents in California’s Bay Area, Nevada’s Carson City and Southern Oregon felt the tremors on Wednesday

When the earthquake struck California, thousands of Americans along the West Coast received an official warning message and initially described the event as a 6.0 magnitude earthquake.