On Sunday morning, a 5.4 magnitude earthquake was reported in Northern California, according to the US Geological Survey. The tremor occurred about 30 miles south of Eureka and 9 miles southeast of Rio Dell, with a depth of 17.3 miles.
Rio Dell Mayor Debra Garnes reported feeling the quake at her home.
This marks the second earthquake to hit the area in less than two weeks.
“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 it.”
According to Garnes, a neighbor’s residence sustained a crack in the wall due to the latest earthquake, making it the second quake to affect the Northern California area in the past month.
Two fatalities were reported following the 6.4 magnitude tremor on December 20, with 27 homes red-tagged and 73 yellow-tagged in Rio Dell as a result of the quake.
“We are kind of starting over – we had moved from our response to recovery, and now we are basically in both,” Garnes said. “We have to be back in response because the southern end of town really took it hard this time.”
Mayor Garnes of the town facing the repercussions of Sunday’s earthquake has confirmed that 30% of the town’s water supply is shut down and pockets of power have been lost.
An additional 35-foot crack in one of the town’s main roads has been discovered, with some homes and buildings being damaged further from the December quake.
Despite this, Garnes has expressed her appreciation for the “tremendous response from the community” in the form of local and state agencies and aid from other towns in helping the town cope. According to the USGS, the quake is a green pager, suggesting no estimated fatalities or economic losses.