Schwarzenegger declares state of emergency in quake-damaged Northern California county

Gov. declares state of emergency in Calif. county

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a state of emergency in a Northern California county three days after a 6.5-magnitude earthquake caused millions of dollars in damage.

The governor announced Tuesday that he proclaimed the state of emergency in Humboldt County because Saturday’s temblor had “disrupted utilities and caused damage to at least 175 structures.”

Gary Bird, a spokesman for the city of Eureka, says 295 buildings were damaged in the city causing $17.9 million in damage. Bird says that estimate was reduced from $21.9 million after officials had more time to assess the quake’s damage.

The governor’s news release says damage in the area is expected to exceed $28 million, and that the scale of the wreckage caused by the quake exceeds the county’s ability to respond alone.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

EUREKA, Calif. (AP) — The earthquake damage estimate in the Northern California city of Eureka has climbed to $21.9 million, officials said Tuesday.

The latest figure from the weekend’s magnitude-6.5 temblor reflects damage to 240 buildings. It was up from an estimate of $14.3 million for 175 buildings on Monday, said Gary Bird, a spokesman for the city.

Three structures, including a 13-unit apartment complex and a single-family home that fell off its foundation, have been declared uninhabitable, he said.

The owners of the home were staying with friends while they looked for a place to rent. The Red Cross was helping shelter people from the damaged apartment building.

Officials were continuing to assess buildings, and Bird expected the damage figure to go up even further, although not drastically.

Eureka is the largest city in Humboldt County affected by Saturday’s quake centered offshore in the Pacific Ocean. Dozens of aftershocks have been recorded, including a magnitude-3.2 temblor Monday about 42 miles southwest of Eureka.

Damage estimates for the rest of the county were not expected for several days.

“The city of Eureka is what really took the beating,” said Brenda Godsey, a spokeswoman for the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, noting much of the county’s development and population is concentrated in the coastal city.

The quake sent about 30 people to emergency rooms, but only one was seriously injured — an elderly person who fell and suffered a broken hip.