A tsunami warning from the National Weather Service revealed an uneven response by Bay Area cities, counties and emergency services on Thursday, after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off the coast of Humboldt County.
A tsunami alert was issued by the National Weather Service at 10:51 a.m., seven minutes after the quake struck at 10:44 a.m., about 45 miles off the coast, at a depth of 10 kilometers, or about 6.2 miles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
It initially warned that a tsunami was possible and could hit the San Francisco coast at 12:10 p.m.
The city of Berkeley issued evacuation orders through Alameda County’s emergency alert system, AC Alert, for the western part of the city at 11:20 a.m., telling residents and visitors to move east of Seventh Street. The city said on its official X account at 11:30 a.m. that West Berkeley should evacuate immediately.
Yesterday, shortly after 11am, the City of Berkeley issued an Evacuation Order in West Berkeley due to a forecasted tsunami. It was lifted in less than an hour.
This thread is to share and make clear the City’s decision-making and actions taken. 🧵 https://t.co/sU6Yr5tGM5
1/10— City of Berkeley (@CityofBerkeley) December 6, 2024
The city canceled the evacuation orders at 12:06 p.m. after the National Weather Service ended its tsunami warning at 11:55 a.m. It updated its social media at 12:15 p.m. to let residents know they could return home.
Alerts on social media, and from loudspeakers
In San Francisco, a spokesperson for the city’s Department of Emergency Management said in an email that the agency convened an Incident Management Teams call with city departments to determine next steps, and initiated evacuations of beaches and low-lying coastal areas.
The Department of Emergency Management posted the alert on its X account at 11:15 a.m., sending the message in English, Mandarin and Tagalog.
An alert went out from the city’s emergency alert system at 11:34 a.m. telling people to move away from the water to at least one block inland.
Emergency responders also used their vehicles’ loudspeakers to announce the evacuation orders in coastal areas.
The department shared the National Weather Service’s message canceling the warning just before noon, and sent its own update via its emergency alert system at 12:18 p.m.
The city had activated its Emergency Operations Center and Joint Information Center to coordinate a further response when the alert was canceled.
“This was not a false alarm. This was a real concern.”
Justin Schorr, San Francisco Fire Department
A spokesperson for the San Francisco Fire Department, Justin Schorr, said that the Department was still advising people to remain at a safe distance from the coast throughout Thursday as a precaution. He urged the public to take this, and future warnings, seriously.
“This was not a false alarm. This was a real concern,” Schorr said.
He recommended using this event as a chance to ensure residents have a plan in an emergency.
A delayed response in Contra Costa County
In Contra Costa County, the county’s Community Warning System, operated by the Sheriff’s Office Emergency Services Division, did not send an alert until after the warning was canceled, more than an hour after it was issued by the National Weather Service, after the tsunami was forecast to hit the area.
A spokesperson for the division did not immediately return a request for comment on why the alert was delayed.
The city of Richmond did send an alert via Nixle, an emergency alert system used by municipalities and emergency services. It was shared by the Richmond Fire Department, which urged people at 11:17 via its X account to “move inland or to higher ground.”
LEARN MORE
• Emergency alerts in San Francisco can be found at sf72.org, and links to help plan are available.
• For emergency alerts in Alameda County, visit acalert.org.
• Marin County residents can sign up for alerts at Alert Marin.
• Sign up for emergency alerts in San Mateo County with the Department of Emergency Management.
• The Community Warning System provides alerts in Contra Costa County.
Officials with San Mateo County’s Department of Emergency Management gathered with other public safety officials in a regional operations center to monitor the situation, the county said in a news release.
Emergency managers considered sounding the tsunami warning sirens but decided not to, the county said.
No evacuation orders were issued in San Mateo County, but the beaches were cleared by fire and law enforcement agencies.
Marin County’s alert system, Alert Marin, did not send an emergency alert, according to a record on its website, but the county did send a message through its emergency services website.
The Marin County Sheriff’s Office said on its X account at 11:26 a.m. That anyone on a beach or “very near the coast” should go to higher ground immediately. If that was not possible, the Sheriff’s Office said, people should go to a second story.
No injuries or damage was reported in association with the quake in San Francisco, San Mateo, Napa or Sonoma counties.
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