Video: Quake felt in Ontario, Quebec and U.S.
An earthquake of 5.0 magnitude rattled residents across a wide swath of Ontario, Quebec and the northeastern United States. The temblor lasted about 30 seconds. (June 23, 2010)
Did you feel the Earth move?
A 5.0 magnitude earthquake briefly shook the Ontario-Quebec border Wednesday afternoon, shattering glass, rattling bookshelves and sending hundreds of people scurrying into the streets.
The quake struck at 1:41 p.m. and lasted about 30 seconds. It hit the Ottawa area hardest but strong tremors were felt in Toronto and most of southern Ontario.
Early reports said the magnitude was 5.5; it was later downgraded to 5.0. The epicentre was 45 kilometres north of Gatineau, Que., about 18 kilometres below the surface. People as far away as New York, Vermont, Michigan and Illinois reported feeling the tremors.
While there was no damage reported in the Toronto area, there were reports that a small Quebec bridge was damaged just north of the epicentre at a dam called Barrage-McLaren. In Gracefield, 40 kilometres west of the epicentre at Echo Lake, a church and a local restaurant were damaged.
There was also heavy damage to a community centre and a hotel, Mayor Réal Rochon said Wednesday, but no one was hurt.
In Toronto, the quake was a brief scare for many.
“It was unbelievable,” said Susan Ashley, who was using a computer in her 10th floor apartment at Victoria Park Ave. and the Danforth. “Everything was swaying and shaking ... I felt like I was in my car.”
Her dog started barking and Ashley ran to the hallway, where everyone on her floor was streaming out. “I didn’t think it was the end of the world,” she said, “but it was scary.”
For the Integrated Security Unit in charge of security for G8 and G20, there were some jittery moments. “We quickly realized it was an earthquake and nothing to do with G20,” said Const. Rodney Petroski, a media relations officer.
In Ottawa, members of the national press gallery were among thousands of employees, political staffers and tourists who poured onto the streets as the tremors struck.
Conservative House leader Jay Hill was standing outside East Block talking to Sen. Doug Finley. “It felt like a D9-Cat (a big bulldozer) went by. I figured it was an earthquake,” said Hill, who has experienced earthquakes in his B.C. riding.
The earthquake was distinctly felt over the entire region, said Sylvia Hayek, a seismologist with Natural Resources Canada. “Magnitude 5.0 is considered a moderate earthquake in global terms. For us, it’s a very large earthquake here in the east. It’s a great reminder to people that yes, earthquakes do happen here in the east.”
By comparison, the earthquake that struck Haiti in January, killing more than 200,000, was a 7.0 on the Richter scale, 100 times stronger than Wednesday’s quake, and made even deadlier because of poor construction methods.
Within moments Wednesday, people were Tweeting about the experience across Ontario and Quebec, or calling friends and family to check on them. No injuries were reported but media and emergency services were flooded with calls.
Within hours, enterprising businesses had already begun hawking quake-related memorabilia on the Internet. You could order $2 I-survived-the-quake buttons or $18.95 T-shirts emblazoned “I survived Toronto earthquake 2010.”
In east Caledon, Bud Petrash was chatting to two customers at his pet store in a small plaza when a centre island started swaying and articles began rolling off shelves. “I instantly knew it was an earthquake,” said Petrash.
He and the two customers ran outside, where Petrash saw cars sway. “It was pretty strong ... I think it lasted for at least 10 seconds. My legs felt rubbery.”
Many occupants of Ontario’s Legislature building ran outside, thinking the worst after an incident earlier Wednesday in which a suspicious package was found at the Queen’s Park subway station.
“We are on the fourth floor and we were swaying,” said Marion Nader, New Democratic Party press secretary.
The last time an earthquake of such magnitude hit southern Ontario was in October 1998 — a 5.4-magnitude temblor.
Quebec has experienced at least a half-dozen earthquakes of 6.0 or higher estimated magnitude over the past 350 years, mostly in the Charlevoix region.
In Montreal, David Bernatchez, an employee at the Villa Medica Rehabilitation Hospital in the downtown core, got the scare of his life. He was transporting a patient to another floor when the earthquake hit.
“All of a sudden the elevator started shaking rapidly; my patient started screaming,” Bernatchez told the Star. “I didn’t know what was happening.”
The elevator swayed violently for five to six seconds and made lots of noise, perhaps while hitting the shaft, he said. “An elevator is probably the best place to feel an earthquake because of the cables.”
Quebecers somehow find humour in everything. “Be reassured,” someone named Paul-André wrote on the Radio-Canada website. “It’s just Quebec separating.”
With files from Tonda MacCharles, Tanya Talaga and Andrew Chung
Rare quake strikes the region and sends people scurrying into the streets. No injuries or damage was reported in the Toronto area.
With files from Tonda MacCharles, Tanya Talaga and Andrew Chung
