The second quake in two weeks has put Northern California back into response mode

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CNN –

Officials in Northern California are back in cleanup mode after the second quake in two weeks hit the area Sunday morning, cracking walls and roads.

The USGS said the 5.4-magnitude quake was shallow and struck at a depth of about 19 miles. The USGS said the center was about 30 miles south of Eureka and 9 miles southeast of Rio del.

A 6.4 earthquake also rocked the area, about 125 miles south of the Oregon border, on December 20, killing two people.

Rio Del Mayor Debra Garnes said the December earthquake left 27 of the town’s homes marked red – meaning unsafe due to damage – and 73 homes marked yellow. She added that some buildings sustained more damage on Sunday and may need to be demolished.

“We’re kind of starting over — we’ve gone from our response to our recovery, and now we’re basically both,” Garnes told CNN’s Pamela Brown on Sunday. “We have to come back to fight back because Southern End City took it really hard this time.”

Garnes said Sunday’s earthquake shook her home.

“It was crazy. The earthquake felt more violent this time,” Garnes told CNN. “It was shorter, but more violent. My refrigerator moved two feet. Things came out of the refrigerator. There’s a crack in my wall from the violence of that.”

Garnes said a neighbor’s house also had a crack in the wall from the quake.

The mayor said that 30% of the town’s water was shut off and the town lost “pockets” of electricity. She added that there is a 35-foot crack in one of the main roads in the town.

But the mayor said there has been an “enormous response from the community,” in the form of state and local agencies as well as aid from neighboring towns.

“Literally, everyone is doing everything they can to help us get through this,” Garnes said.

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that Sunday’s earthquake cut power to an estimated 50% of Rio del residents. She said the Red Cross had opened a night shelter for people affected by the earthquake.

California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office said it was monitoring the impact of the quake.

“Stay safe – check gas and water lines for damage or leaks, prepare for aftershocks, and remember to fall, cover and wait,” the office said in a tweet.

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