Northern California is shaken by an earthquake of magnitude 6.4, leaving 70k people without power.

 Early on Tuesday, officials said, a powerful earthquake that residents described as "violent" struck a rural area of the Northern California coast, injuring 11, leaving 70,000 without power as a rainstorm was about to arrive.

At 2:34 a.m., the 6.4-magnitude quake struck near Ferndale, a small community close to the Pacific coast and 210 miles (345 kilometers) northwest of San Francisco. Just offshore, at a depth of approximately 10 miles (16 kilometers), was the epicenter. Then came a lot of aftershocks.

Residents described the incident as particularly jarring despite the fact that the area, which is a portion of California's sparsely populated, forested far north coast, is vulnerable to earthquakes.

Dan Dixon, 40, of Eureka, claims that he and his wife were asleep when it woke them up, shook everything, and threw pictures from their home to the ground. He claimed that their newborn daughter slept through it.

He stated, "It was probably the most violent earthquake we have felt in the fifteen years I have lived here." Our bed was physically moved by it."

According to Brian Ferguson, a spokesperson for the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, there was "some damage" to buildings and infrastructure in Humboldt County, and two hospitals in the region lost power and were operating on generators. However, the magnitude of the damage appeared to be "minimal" in comparison to the strength of the earthquake.

Redwood forests, mountains, a port, and a state university make up the region. Humboldt was a part of the three-county Emerald Triangle, where shady cannabis production was legendary, long before the state legalized marijuana.

In a statement released early in the afternoon, the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office reported that approximately 11 people had been injured. Two deaths were reported as "medical emergencies" either prior to or during the earthquake, according to authorities.

During a press conference in Sacramento, Cal OES Director Mark Ghilarducci stated that the smallest communities of Rio Dell, Ferndale, and Fortuna sustained the majority of the damage.

According to Ghilarducci, assessments were still in progress, and he did not provide any specifics regarding the extent of damage to infrastructure or structures. He said that this included the number of homes that might be badly damaged to the point where people would have to move out.

He stated, "This is yet another illustration of the fact that earthquakes can occur at any time without warning."

The damaged bridge in Ferndale was closed by the authorities. A picture of crumbling pavement was shared on Twitter by the state highway department.

State Sen. Mike McGuire, who addresses the region, said Rio Dell, home to only a couple thousand individuals, supported the majority of the harm. He stated that one confirmed structural fire occurred, a few buildings were knocked off their foundations, and the municipal water system was damaged; however, it was not clear whether any homes or businesses lost access to water.

After the earthquake, authorities reported that over 70,000 people lost power and remained without it for nearly 12 hours.

According to McGuire, Pacific Gas & Electric's restoration efforts were slowed as a result of the rain, which prevented the use of a helicopter to assess the damage. The main transmission line that enters the region was affected by the power outage. He stated that although the utility anticipated that electricity would be restored by evening, residents should be prepared for additional power outages.

PG&E didn't promptly answer to a call looking for input yet tweeted that groups were answering survey its frameworks "and doing all that could be within reach to limit power and gas blackouts."

According to the California Earthquake Authority, Humboldt County has approximately 136,000 residents and is located in a region of the state that has a long history of large earthquakes, including magnitude 7.0 in 1980 and 6.8 in 2014.

Caroline Titus, a Ferndale resident, posted a video of her darkened home filled with broken dishes and falling furniture on Twitter.

"Our house is a Victorian from 140 years ago. What fell clearly shows the north-south shaking," she tweeted.

Larkin O'Leary, 41, of Santa Rosa went to Ferndale, where they had been shaken by an earthquake last year, for her anniversary with her husband. They made the decision to give it another shot and booked a romantic getaway at the same historic hotel as a year ago.

O'Leary claims that at 2:30 a.m., she felt something strange and tried to go back to sleep.

She stated, "I laid back down again and it was almost like someone jumped on the bed." It was so frightening.... I had never seen anything shake like that before. Up, down, and all around, it was."

The couple returned to their residence after quickly leaving Ferndale.

O'Leary stated, "Never again."

The quake happened in a space known as the Mendocino Triple Intersection, where three structural plates meet.

According to Lori Dengler, professor emeritus of geology at Cal Poly Humboldt, "We're in this moment of geologic time where the most exciting, dynamic area of California happens to be Humboldt County and the adjacent offshore area."

Dengler said it is ordinary for there to be vulnerability about harm after an enormous seismic tremor. She did, however, point out that the majority of the region is rural and that wood-frame construction is common, which has in the past helped to limit damage.

The West Coast's warning system, which detects the beginning of a quake and sends alerts to cellphones in the affected area to alert people to take safety precautions seconds before strong shaking reaches them, responded extensively to the quake.

Ghilarducci stated, "The system sent alerts to approximately 3 million people in Northern California early Tuesday." He stated, "The system did function as we had hoped."

The quake came only days after a little extent 3.6 seismic tremor struck the San Francisco Narrows Region, awakening huge number of individuals before 4 a.m. Saturday and causing minor harm.

El Cerrito, about 16 miles (25 kilometers) from downtown San Francisco, was the epicenter of that quake.