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Tsunami warning canceled following powerful quake off northern California coast

a street sign that says "Entering tsunami hazard zone"
Rebecca Hansen-White
/
KLCC
FILE: Tsunami hazard signs, such as this one in Newport, are a common sight on the Oregon coast.

Coastal communities exhaled Thursday after a tsunami warning was issued — and then canceled.

The National Tsunami Warning Center issued the warning around 10:45 a.m. following a magnitude 7.0 earthquake that occurred in ocean waters about 45 miles southwest of Eureka, California.

The warning included much of the northern California coast, and included a long stretch of Oregon's southern coast, from the California border north to the Douglas/Lane County line just south of Florence.

Just over an hour later, the warning was canceled.

The fact that a tsunami did not occur doesn’t mean the warning was a mistake, said Dan Cox, a professor of civil engineering at Oregon State University. The quake was powerful and centered not very far off the coast.

"Don't take chances. Don't run your models," he said. "Just warn people first."

Cox studies the impact of tsunamis on coastal communities. He said over the course of the following hour, before the warning was canceled, experts were likely evaluating the type and location of the quake, as well as relying on first-hand observations from people in the field.

“They don’t issue these warnings lightly," he said. "It could have been pretty high-consequence. It’s important to remember that it’s like a fire alarm: you just have to do it.”

The warning prompted the Oregon State Parks Department to close beach access at all coastal parks. The agency later announced that beach access would re-open at 3 p.m. Thursday.

Two vehicles and a helicopter on the ground. Several people are standing nearby.
Brendan Crehen
Brendan Crehen, an EMT pilot, sent this photo to KLCC. Crehen said it shows members of the North Bend Coast Guard who positioned themselves on a hill above the tsunami zone that allowed them to keep watch over the waters of Coos Bay.

Chris Lehman has been reporting on Oregon issues since 2006. He joined the KLCC news department in December 2018 and became News Director in March 2023. Chris was born and raised in Pennsylvania, and graduated from Temple University with a degree in journalism. His public broadcasting career includes stops in Louisiana and Illinois. Chris has filed for national programs including “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered.”