A State of Emergency in California after 6.1 Magnitude Earthquake
Northern California has experienced the strongest tremor in 25 years during the early hours last Sunday, Aug 24. A state of emergency was declared, while the 6.1 magnitude earthquake injured over 120 people.
The earthquake struck only six miles away from California's wine country, Napa, as it damages the historical buildings in the region. Most of the victims underwent treatment for lacerations and bruises. They were released from the hospital after they were treated at Queen of the Valley Hospital. Six of the victims including a child suffered critical wounds. The child was apparently injured after a fireplace collapsed. It had to be airlifted to UC Davis Medical Center for care.
A state of emergency was declared by Gov. Jerry Brown in the northern part of San Francisco, while emergency workers worked on putting out fires. Even after the initial earthquake was felt, there were several aftershocks reported. Several buildings in Napa were minutely searched to make sure no one was left under the rumbles.
California Earthquake Authority CEO Glenn Pomeroy surveyed the region during Sunday afternoon. He said that the damage in the area was "fairly significant." "The downtown area has the hardest hit, probably because of the age of construction down there", he said. The California Emergency Management Agency Secretary Mark S. Ghilarducci said that people should be ready for multiple aftershocks. "Right now it is really about being able to get the fires out, making sure that anyone who could potentially be trapped in a building gets rescued and evacuated", he said. "There is going to be a number of aftershocks afterwards, so people need to be prepared for that."
Napa public works director, Jack Rochelle said that there were around 60 water leaks and main breaks. He also said that 20 water lines were shut off. However, according to him, the "really good news" was that none of the larger main transmissions has appeared to be damaged. He said that resuming normal water system might take up to one week. He said that the water that is provided at the moment, however, is safe for drinking.
Napa schools is closed on Monday to allow officials to clean up the buildings. Those were also reviewed for safety.