5:39 PM: Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa has handled more than 170 patients who sought emergency care after a 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck early this morning near American Canyon, hospital officials said.
Of the 172 patients, 13 were admitted to the hospital with broken bones and respiratory or cardiac conditions, while the rest were treated and released for less severe injuries, hospital president Walt Mickens said at a news conference this evening.
Only one patient remains in the hospital in critical condition while another, a 13-year-old boy, was airlifted to another trauma center in critical condition after pieces of the fireplace at his home collapsed onto him, Mickens said.
The most common injuries were from household items falling off of walls or shelves onto people or from those who stepped on debris in their homes, he said.
Mickens announced earlier today that 120 people had been treated at the hospital, but that number rose as dozens of people got injured while cleaning up after the quake, he said.
A woman also gave birth at Queen of the Valley Medical Center just about five minutes before the quake struck, he said.
Dan McMenamin, Bay City News
1:24 PM: About 120 people were treated at Queen of the Valley Medical Center following a 6.0-magnitude earthquake near American Canyon early this morning, hospital officials said.
Six people were injured critically as a result of the quake that struck at 3:20 a.m., according to hospital president Walt Mickens.
One child was airlifted to another hospital after being injured when pieces of a fireplace fell. Other serious injuries involve broken bones and other trauma, Mickens said.
The rest of the injuries include “mostly lacerations, bumps and bruises” and those patients have been treated and released, he said.
Napa city officials also provided an update this afternoon on damage to the local infrastructure from the quake.
Sixty-one water mains broke as a result of the earthquake, although all were smaller distribution lines rather than the larger transmission lines, said Jacques LaRochelle, the director of Napa’s Public Works Department.
LaRochelle said about 20 of the water main breaks have been isolated and that it could take crews up to a week to make repairs and restore water service to all customers. He said water stations will be provided for residents in the meantime.
LaRochelle said the city’s “roads aren’t too bad. We have a few locations with buckling streets, but nothing that’s serious enough to cause us to close the road.”
Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Napa, also attended the news conference and detailed some of the damage to Napa’s wineries, one of the city’s main tourist industries.
“Some wineries have been hit pretty hard, with barrels knocked off the rack and glassware shattering,” Thompson said.
The congressman said major damage has also been reported around Vallejo and Mare Island, including at a U.S. Forest Service building.
Thompson said federal agencies have conducted an aerial survey of the region but do not yet know exactly how much damage was wrought by the quake.
Napa City Manager Mike Parness said 15 or 16 buildings have been red-tagged, meaning occupancy won’t be allowed until repairs are made.
Three of those buildings are at 816-820 Brown St., which are unreinforced masonry buildings that had not been brought up to current seismic codes, Parness said.
Several other buildings have been yellow-tagged, allowing limited access, he said.
Dan McMenamin, Bay City News
