Tsunami Threat Lifted: 7.0 Quake in California Impacts the Southern Oregon Region

It was a big one: a powerful 7.0 earthquake (near Ferndale, California) shook up this morning for many residents living along the Pacific Coast in northern California and Southern Oregon coastal areas.

Many of our readers here in Washington State often travel to (and live in) Southern Oregon, so I just wanted to keep you updated and informed on the status of the tsunami warning.

The huge earthquake immediately set off tsunami warnings. It was followed by another huge tremor, measuring 5.0 on the Richter Scale, as MSN reports. The tsunami warning was finally lifted around noon, as NBC reports.

Oregon has already been through one recent natural disaster, the "Bomb Cyclone!"

HERE'S AN INTERESTING EARTHQUAKE FACT: Two of the biggest earthquakes in recorded history happened in Alaska: A 9.2 earthquake in March 1964, and an 8.7 earthquake in February 1965.

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WHAT YOU SHOULD DO IF YOU LIVE NEAR A TSUNAMI WARNING AREA

Today's unexpected weather warning is a great reminder for residents in Oregon and California to review your personal emergency evacuation plans and make sure to have an emergency kit ready to grab in case you have to leave home suddenly.

Here are some important things to know:

• Know Evacuation Routes

• Check for emergency information from approved resources like tsunami.gov and local media outlets (radio, TV, newspapers, etc.)

• Look for signs of a tsunami near your home (sudden receding water, more earth tremors or earthquakes, loud ocean roars)

• Check on your family and neighbors to see if they need any help to flee as well

• Move to higher ground as quickly as possible

• Avoid returning home until the "coast" is clear

• Be prepared for any aftershocks

Tune into emergency alert systems in your neighborhood and seek higher elevations away from any potential floods that might be coming your way.

It's like that saying goes, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

The National Tsunami Warning Center is advising residents in the affected areas of Southern Oregon to "not re-occupy hazard zones until local emergency officials indicate it is safe to do so."

Oregon cities that would be most impacted by a tsunami along the Pacific Coast include popular vacation areas that Washington residents love to stay, including Cannon Beach, Seaside, Newport, Bandon, and Yachats.