NORTH COAST, Calif. — A 6.4-magnitude earthquake that struck near the city of Ferndale in Humboldt County early Tuesday has resulted in a local emergency by the sheriff and a state emergency declaration by the governor.

The earthquake occurred at 2:34 a.m. Tuesday offshore. It was centered 7.7 miles west southwest of Ferndale, according to the United States Geological Survey.

It has spawned dozens of aftershocks. As of Tuesday night, the USGS site showed nearly 60 aftershocks, the biggest of which was a 4.9-magnitude earthquake that occurred just five minutes after the main quake.

On Tuesday afternoon, as county emergency officials were preparing to hold a press conference on the situation, they were startled by still another aftershock that shook Rio Dell City Hall.

Also during that meeting, the battery backup system went down momentarily, a reminder that across the region, tens of thousands of people remained without power. As of 7 p.m. Tuesday, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office reported 40,000 people were still without power.

Officials also reported that the aftermath of the quake included damage to schools, structure fires, offline water systems that led to boil water orders, damaged gas lines and other critical utility infrastructure such as cell towers, as well as damage done to bridges and roads leading to closures, and dozens of homes had been red-tagged due to earthquake damage.

Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsel said 12 people were confirmed injured, with the expectation that reports of still more injuries may come in.

His agency also reported two people had died as the result of medical emergencies that occurred at the time of the quake.

Shortly after 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Honsel’s office reported that he had declared a local emergency in response to the quake.

An hour later, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office proclaimed a state of emergency for Humboldt County to support the emergency response.

Newsom activated the State Operations Center to coordinate with local and tribal governments and provide any needed resources such as shelter, food and water, and aid in damage assessments of buildings and roadways.

The Governor’s Office of Emergency Services reported that it was working with local utilities to rapidly restore power.

The emergency proclamation enables Humboldt County to access resources under the California Disaster Assistance Act, directs Caltrans to formally request immediate assistance through the Federal Highway Administration’s Emergency Relief Program and supports impacted residents by easing access to unemployment benefits and waiving fees to replace records such as marriage and birth certificates, among other provisions.

Newsom also directed state agencies and departments to take appropriate action as necessary to provide support to local communities, including the California Department of Transportation to ensure the safety of roadways, the California Highway Patrol to protect public safety, the California Department of Public Health and Emergency Medical Services Authority to aid local hospitals, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to help address any possible additional emergencies and the California Geological Survey for continued earthquake monitoring.

Updates are being posted on the Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services Facebook page and the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office website.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.