Humboldt Quake: Damage Investigation Underway
Parul Dubey January 2, 2023 News , Land Development , Remediation/redevelopment
Humboldt Quake: Damage Investigation Underway







FERNDALE, CALIFORNIA – Miyamoto International teamed up with local and state authorities to assess the damage after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake woke up the north coast of California early Tuesday morning.

Miyamoto experts began a survey of the damage after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake shook the coastal area of Northern California, resulting in at least two deaths and more than seventeen injuries. The earthquake struck shortly after 2:30 a.m. Tuesday with an epicenter 8 miles west of the small city of Ferndale and has been followed by dozens of aftershocks. The earthquake caused significant damage to roads and buildings. At least 30 residences have been determined “structurally unsafe”. First teams responding say that Humboldt County, had taken the brunt of the damage.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the region had experienced more than 50 aftershocks after the initial quake. Miyamoto experts are currently focusing on ensuring residents are safe.

“Our priority from the very beginning is to save lives,” said Miyamoto’s Senior Project Engineer, Carl Abinader.

“We want people to go back to normalcy as soon as possible, so the first thing we are doing is checking on residents and making sure the structures are safe and evaluate retrofitting solutions.”








 







 















 







 








The Miyamoto team traveled to Ferndale to report on the performance of structural systems. Carl shares his hands-on experience below:





 





It was a dark and chilly night as I prepared for my journey to Ferndale. I was sent to report on the structural systems’ performance after the 6.4 magnitude earthquake that struck three miles off the coast two days ago. The car tire light flashes on the dashboard, and I’m forced to make a stop to investigate, I retrieved my tools and prepared for the worst, but fortunately, it was just a faulty sensor, so I was able to get back on the road quickly.

The sky is aglow, the enchanting scent of the deep forest trees fills the car. The sight of the towering redwoods blanketed in fog is utterly majestic. I have only one more hour until I reach the area that was most heavily affected by the recent earthquake.

I arrived in the first two villages on my journey, Garberville and Phillipsville, situated approximately 60 km (37 miles) from the epicenter. The villages experienced a peak ground acceleration (PGA) of 10% G, however, no structural or façade damage was reported by tenants. Most of the damage reported was from items tipping over. Additionally, a steel bridge under construction was jacked at a pier with its bearing removed, yet no movement or damage was noted.