Tsunami Evacuation Order Canceled For West Berkeley: Police

BERKELEY, CA — Police canceled an evacuation order Wednesday for West Berkeley less than an hour after issuing it as millions braced for impacts in the wake of a magnitude 7.0 earthquake recorded off the coast, 45 miles southwest of Eureka, and multiple aftershocks.

"People in the Tsunami Zone are in IMMEDIATE DANGER and MUST EVACUATE NOW," police said in the order, issues shortly before 11:30 a.m. "Stay east of 7th St. This is a lawful order to leave now."

About 40 minutes later, they informed residents the order was lifted.

"The Tsunami Warning is officially canceled," police said. "No tsunami danger presently exists."

The National Weather Service initially issued a tsunami warning covering a vast stretch of the Oregon and California coastline, including the Humboldt coast, San Francisco Bay and Peninsula. In an update shared at 11:58 a.m., the NWS gave the all-clear.

"The tsunami Warning is canceled for the coastal areas of California and Oregon," the weather service said. "No tsunami danger presently exists for this area. This will be the final U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center message for this event."

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a tsunami warning is issued when a tsunami with the potential to create "widespread inundation" is imminent or expected. The National Weather Service had estimated the tsunami would arrive in San Francisco at 12:10 p.m.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, a 7.0 earthquake hit at 10:44 a.m. and was centered about 61 miles east, northeast of Ferndale. The National Weather Service U.S. Tsunami Warning System initially reported that it was a magnitude 7.3.

Three minutes after the large quake, at 10:47 a.m., a 5.8-magnitude temblor struck near Cobb.

Shaking rippled across Northern California, where residents felt a rolling motion for several seconds. It was followed by several smaller aftershocks.

At least 5.3 million people in California were under a tsunami warning after the magnitude 7.0 earthquake, the U.S. Geological Survey said in a yellow alert, which predicts localized but minimal damage.