(Video) Broken Glass, Burst Water Heaters, Empty Shelves: Mendocino County Picks Up the Pieces After Morning Quake

Lights hanging from closed Rite Aid location in Willits [Screenshot from video by Joe Herrera]

Across inland Mendocino County, residents were sweeping up broken glass, rehinging fallen pictures, and in some cases dealing with more serious damage — water heaters broken loose from walls, leaving elderly neighbors without hot water and, in some cases, without anyone to help them recover.

“It was very violent,” said one resident of the Redwood Meadows apartments in Redwood Valley, near the epicenter of the morning’s magnitude 5.6 earthquake. “Mine was trashed, but my elderly neighbors all have broken glass everywhere and pictures and mirrors off the wall, and some had water heaters break loose and now have no hot water. And many have no help to pick it up.”

Video from Willits damage to the former Rite Aid location on Main Street — a scene repeated in stores across the region, where items had toppled from shelves throughout the shaking.

The quake struck at 8:10 a.m., centered approximately 11 kilometers north of Redwood Valley, and was felt from south of San Jose and as far north as Southern Oregon. It hit on the Maacama fault, a major strand of the San Andreas system that runs through the heart of Mendocino County — directly beneath Willits, Ukiah, and the surrounding communities that felt it hardest Wednesday morning.

Power slowly coming back

Nearly one in five PG&E customers in Mendocino County lost power when the quake triggered automatic safety shutoffs. At peak, approximately 8,000 customers were without electricity. By late morning, crews had made some progress. The PG&E Outage Map indicated just under 7,200 customers remain without power across unincorporated Mendocino County and Willits as of 11:48 a.m.

PG&E spokesperson Tamar Sarkissian confirmed the outages were a protective response, not the result of infrastructure damage.

“No damage to PG&E critical facilities, gas system or generating assets have been reported,” Sarkissian said. The company’s Emergency Response Center in Vacaville activated immediately after the quake, with crews dispatched to assess gas and electric hazards across the region.

Customers in Laytonville were still waiting, with estimated restoration set for 3:15 p.m. Both the Laytonville clinic and the Round Valley clinic at the tribe remained operational on backup generators throughout the morning, Mendocino County Sheriff Matt Kendall confirmed.

Infrastructure holding

The broader damage picture was coming into focus by mid-morning — and for a quake this size, the news was relatively good.

State Senator Mike McGuire said damage assessments were continuing but that early reports showed no major damage to hospitals, sewer systems, water systems, or public facilities in Ukiah, Willits, or Covelo. Caltrans had checked highway infrastructure with no early damage reported. CHP had checked all bridges and overcrossings in the Laytonville area and found none damaged.

“Great work by the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office, local police departments and city crews who are out in the communities,” McGuire wrote in a mid-morning update.

The Laytonville and Round Valley medical clinics were both running on backup generators. Willits Howard Memorial Hospital experienced shaking that damaged some monitors and computer equipment but remained operational, Kendall said earlier.

What comes next

Geologists say the shaking isn’t necessarily over. Lori Dengler, Emeritus Professor of Geology at Cal Poly Humboldt, said Wednesday morning that the USGS aftershock forecast puts the probability of a magnitude 3 aftershock at 90 percent, with a smaller but real chance of a magnitude 4. Three aftershocks of magnitude 2.5 or greater had already been recorded by mid-morning.

“No question, there are going to be more aftershocks,” Dengler said.

Mendocino County has activated an official damage assessment form for residents and businesses to document impacts. Reports can be submitted at the Mendocino County Damage Assessment Form.

Residents are encouraged to continue monitoring mendoready.org for official updates.

Redheaded Blackbelt will continue covering this story as the day unfolds. Readers with damage reports are encouraged to share them in the comments below.

Earlier:

• [Update: 7400 Without Power] 5.6 Earthquake Rattles Mendocino County; Power Lines Down in Willits, CalFire Assessing Damage5.6 Earthquake Strikes Mendocino County
• Geology Expert: Mendocino Quake No Surprise; Aftershocks Expected