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CNN
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Northern California officials are back in cleanup mode after the second earthquake in two weeks hit the area Sunday morning, cracking walls and roads.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the magnitude 5.4 quake was shallow and about 19 miles deep. According to the USGS, its center is about 30 miles south of Eureka and 9 miles southeast of Riodell.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake also shook an area about 125 miles south of the Oregon border on December 20, killing two people.
Rio Del Mayor Debra Garness said the December quake left 27 homes in the town with red tags (meaning unsafe due to damage) and 73 with yellow tags. said. Some buildings were further damaged on Sunday and may need to be demolished, she said.
“We’re kind of starting over. We’ve moved on from dealing with recovery and now we’re basically both,” Garnes told CNN’s Pamela Brown Sunday. “The south end of town really struggled this time, so we have to get back to responding.”
Garnes said Sunday’s earthquake shook her house.
“It was crazy. This time the quake was stronger,” Garness told CNN. “It was short, but it was more violent. My fridge he moved two feet. Things came out of the fridge. The violence cracked the wall.”
Mr Garness said his neighbor’s house also had cracks in the walls from the quake.
The mayor said 30% of the town’s water supply had been shut down, leaving the town without a “pocket” of electricity. She said she had a 35-foot crack in one of her main roads in town.
However, the mayor said there had been “a tremendous response from the community” in the form of state and local agencies, as well as assistance from neighboring towns.
“Literally everyone is doing their best to get through this,” said Garnes.
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that Sunday’s earthquake cut power to an estimated 50 percent of Riodell residents. The Red Cross said it had opened lodging facilities for residents affected by the earthquake.
California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office said it was monitoring the effects of the earthquake.
“Stay safe. Check your gas and water lines for damage or leaks and remember to drop, cover and hold for aftershocks,” the office said in a tweet.
