Magnitude 6.0 earthquake rocks northern California, massive clean-up underway
Digital Reporter
Monday, August 25, 2014, 10:29 AM - California's governor has declared a state of emergency after the strongest earthquake in 25 years hit northern California Sunday.
The magnitude 6.0 earthquake badly damaged homes, sending dressers, mirrors and pictures crashing down.
Inspectors spent much of Sunday determining whether buildings in downtown Napa were safe, but many of them were not.
The earthquake assessment continues Monday, but initial reports found that dozens of homes and buildings in the region are unsafe to occupy.
Broken water lines and burning fires prompted several evacuations, but firefighters say they couldn't do much to stop the flames from spreading.
"We've got a couple people who've lost everything -- homes completely burned down, so nothing left but a foundation," said a Red Cross spokesperson.
The Federal Aviation Administration says the Napa air traffic control tower is now unusable after the earthquake blew out most of the windows. The agency planned to set up a temporary tower while the other is being prepared.
Napa Valley wineries also took a big hit after the quake brought down thousands of barrels and bottles of high priced wine.
“It’s devastating. I've never seen anything like this,” Tom Montgomery, a winemaker for B.R. Cohn Winery in Glen Ellen, California told the Associated Press. He said the winery lost “as much as 50 percent” of its wine.
Officials say this quake couldn't have come at a worse time for wine country as the region has been battling one of its worst droughts in decades.
Wine section at Safeway in American Canyon pic.twitter.com/du1jgB6WCS
— Anindya Chaudhuri (@andy_bms) August 24, 2014
Although there are no reported deaths, about 170 people were taken to hospital, mostly with minor injuries.
Early damage estimates are expected to surpass $1 billion.
#earthquake This 6.0 so strong that it wrecked her kitchen. pic.twitter.com/17opEq6qxI
— Wayne Freedman (@WayneFreedman) August 24, 2014#earthquake She was fortunate in one way. Her son borrowed the car last night. Unlike neighbors she still has
wheels. pic.twitter.com/JEmBNc4Q3u
— Wayne Freedman (@WayneFreedman) August 24, 2014#earthquake #napaquake #mapit They were tasting here, yesterday. pic.twitter.com/63DZt8f56r
— Wayne Freedman (@WayneFreedman) August 24, 2014
See more of the earthquake's devastation here.
What happens if an earthquake hits Vancouver?
For a city that is always looking over its shoulder for the "Big One," Sunday's earthquake rattled nerves as well as buildings.
According to a recent study, the city of Vancouver, the west's largest city, would be even more severely affected by a major earthquake than previously thought:
