Earthquake in Quebec and Ontario

Canada
June 23, 2010 2:40pm CST
Wow, we're not used to earthquakes here and it was SO scary. I thought a train was riding through the house even though we dont have a train close by. It lasted about 30 seconds I guess but it was the longest 30 seconds of my life. They say it started North of Ontario and was felt down as far as Michigan. Im outside Montreal and felt it and they also felt it in Montreal. Apparently they're evacuating some buildings in Ottawa. It happened around 1:43 PM, a 5.5 magnitude. I sure hope it will never happen again as I didnt like the feeling. Do you live in an area that has many earthquakes, how do you manage it all?
2 people like this
13 responses
@savypat (20216)
• United States
23 Jun 10
I just heard them state that earthquakes in your area a felt in a much larger range then they are on the West Coast where we live. The is no uestions earthquakes are scary. Stay safe
1 person likes this
• Grand Junction, Colorado
23 Jun 10
@ Magical, I heard about the earthquake from a friend in N.Y. (who missed it), who saw it on the news. In regards to your question about aftershocks, yes aftershocks are smaller. Unless this is a foreshock, meaning when the aftershock has a higher magnitude, it then becomes the earthquake. You can read more about it here: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/step/explain.php I hope this was the earthquake and not the foreshock. I'm glad that you are ok and didn't suffer any damage, but remember if it happens again don't run outside get into a doorway, it's the safest place. (I live in CA)
• Canada
24 Jun 10
Thanks Beanie!! They said on the news that we "might" have an aftershock but they said we probably wont even feel it. I sure hope not. I was at my pc later on today and a helicopter flew overhead and because it made nearly the same noise, I thought OH NOOO not another one!!! I guess I'll be on edge for a few days. Poor you, how can you put up with having lots and lots of them in CA??? I dont think I could. It scared the sh*t out of me haha! Thanks for the link, Im going to read it. Thanks also for letting me know where to run to if it ever happens again (lets hope not). We're not used to earthquakes here so we just didnt know what to do or we just didnt know what it was to be honest. Thanks for taking the time to enlighten me!!
• Grand Junction, Colorado
24 Jun 10
I live in Northern CA and we don't generally feel them. Some felt the really big on in S.F. in 89, I wasn't one of them. Your quite welcome.
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@nitin_hec (1096)
• India
23 Jun 10
I have two earthquakes. One when I was child, I was watching movie in TV and Suddenly Tv Start moving. I become very terrified and Run away to outside with my family. Second Time It happen when I was studying in college, I was working on computer and It start movie and we were on fourth floor. It was 7.2 and It did killed 1.45,000 peoples around India, pakistan and Afganistan.
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@nitin_hec (1096)
• India
24 Jun 10
Thanks for suggestion.
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• Grand Junction, Colorado
23 Jun 10
@ nitin, you should never run outside during an earthquake it's very dangerous. I live in CA and this is something that is taught in the schools what to do. You should stand in a dorrway it's the safest place. In school they teach us to go under our desk and protect our face against breaking glass. You should also stay away from windows. Just a bit of info for you. Glad to hear that you are ok from the earthquake experience.
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• Canada
24 Jun 10
@ Nitin: Wow, you sure lived through a BIG one!! Happy nothing happened to you. I would have been afraid also. Not sure if I would have ran outside though.....it happens so fast, I just froze there. @Beanie: Nice of you to tell people what to do since we're not used to this, we have NO idea. It happened so fast today though that I just stood there trying to think what it was and if it was really happening. "IF" it ever happens again, I think I know where I should run to. We have a concrete balcony and if I go downstairs, I can go into that concrete space, its now a kitchen (we have 3 kitchens in my house .....long story) but Im thinking I should be safe in there....unless concrete is not safe?
@laglen (19759)
• United States
25 Jun 10
as far as I know I have never been in one. I am sure I have but never a big one!
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@laglen (19759)
• United States
25 Jun 10
lol ok I will hope accordingly!
• Canada
25 Jun 10
Well it wasnt a big one here, nothing like they get out West or like in Haiti. The reason so many talk about it is that it was our first! Well if ever theres one where you are, you'll know!!.....lets hope it never happens though, its NO fun at all.
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• Grand Junction, Colorado
23 Jun 10
I remember the one and only earthquake I ever really felt and not knowing what it was. I was very pregnant in Oct of 94 the earthquake was somewhere around Redding, CA, I had sat down to have some lunch and while sitting on the couch it felt like someone was kicking the couch. It was very disturbing because besides my daughter who was 4 at the time and taking a nap I was alone. I was very freaked out, which didn't last long as the news broke in and started talking about the quake. I started to laugh no ghosts in the house after all. I remember calling my husband right after that and telling hiim what had happened and he just thought I was crazy, as he hadn't felt it. I don't believe it was that big and I think the reason I felt it was because I was pregnant and more sensitive. Maybe! Glad all is well with you and yours. Happy Mylotting!!!
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• Grand Junction, Colorado
24 Jun 10
CA does get earthquakes regularly but they are mostly very small and happening in unpopulated areas. thank you for the best response award.
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• Canada
24 Jun 10
You're very welcome :) I didnt know they happened mostly in unpopulated areas...good for you then. Must be awful to live with this constant rumbling.
• Canada
24 Jun 10
I guess we dont know whats going on when its the first time. Im also glad you and your baby were alright. Now, why is it that our husbands never believe us?.......men!! They said on the news that you get earthquakes at least once a week in CA.....you must be used to them by now. Thanks, Im also happy we're all ok and hope you'll stay safe also. Thank you!!
@chiumee (850)
• Philippines
24 Jun 10
you just said the right question. i do live in an earthquake belt as well as volcano rich area... Philippines. how do we manage, it has been a common song to us. but at least we still fear the effects and the possible aftershocks which commonly are stronger than the first quake. more fear comes when it occurs with an active volcano spewing smoke giving a sign of eruption. so at least we are moving vigilantly after the first quake. but somehow, our government in an irregular promotion of disaster awareness still disseminate information about this.
@chiumee (850)
• Philippines
26 Jun 10
thanks so much MagicalBubbles. this has been the hope of every generation passing by in our place. and each government leader won't have to say "enough with the negative things happening around and it need to be corrected"; instead, a new leader would most likely say, "duh, it's my turn!" somehow, i feel the fear about these quakes happening in different continents/countries. it's like i have had a big fear about the well known Y2K bug a decade ago, but now, i'm always reminded of the movies 2012 and tsunami where some documented evidences were presented.
1 person likes this
• Canada
25 Jun 10
Im so sorry you live in a dangerous zone. Im even more sorry about your government. I can only hope you'll find a way to move someplace else so you are safe and can live without fear.
• Canada
27 Jun 10
I dont think theres anyplace in the world that one can live without any fear. Its a matter of living someplace with the less fear I think. Hope you find your place with the less fear for you then.
• Canada
24 Jun 10
I'm in Toronto. I was sitting on the computer, and all of a sudden it seemed the computer desk had shifted to the far right. I honestly thought i was having a dizzy spell. I put my head down. Then i picked my head up and continued typing on the computer but i was feeling quite dizzy and nauseous. So i went to bed wondering why i was feeling sick. Then later, a neighbor knocked on the door and told me we had an earthquake. I was so surprised!
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• Canada
25 Jun 10
I am also glad nobody was hurt but i'm a little disappointed that i didn't realize it was an earthquake while it was happening, because i felt like i missed out on the excitement. Maybe that's silly. Seems most people here didn't realize it was an earthquake while it was happening. Everybody seemed to think it was something else. Which means it wasn't such a big earthquake-at least not over here.
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• Canada
25 Jun 10
You're right, nobody thought of an earthquake since we're not used to get those here. Most people thought they were dizzy or something haha!
• Canada
24 Jun 10
I think we all thought we were dizzy or something since it was a first for nearly everybody. Im glad nobody was hurt. Lets hope we dont go through this again.
@dodo19 (47050)
• Beaconsfield, Quebec
23 Jun 10
I definitely felt, being outside Montreal close to the Ontario border. It was really odd, as you say, we don't get many earthquakes. At first I thought I was imagining things, until I heard my husband react to it in the next room. I asked him if he felt that and he told me that he did. We had absolutely no clue what it was, until we saw it on the news.
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• Canada
24 Jun 10
Same here, I had to ask my husband if he felt it also haha!! Most people did the same, you probably saw the civil servants on the news who kept asking each other if they felt that!! I guess we'll be jumpy for a little while now. I sure hope you didnt have any damages....some did.......we didnt!!
@allknowing (130066)
• India
24 Jun 10
I did experience it once. We were just married then. It happened early in the morning and as soon as we felt the tremor we got up, held each other and said our prayers. We really thought that, that would be our last day!! It passed off but there were heavy damages in the area where the epicenter was.
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• Canada
24 Jun 10
What an awful way to wake up!! Im happy you're alright and you didnt have any damages. I didnt even have time to say a prayer as I didnt know what it was but now that I know, next time I'll go stand in a doorway as I was told to do and then say a prayer!! There was also damages where the epicenter was today but nobody was hurt.
• United States
24 Jun 10
Normally most quakes in that area are all under a 3.0. But I have to say a good friend told me way last year to watch over this coming year and next year, because things were waking up. No one listened to him, this year we are seeing things happen that we haven't seen happen for years. In fact there have been more major quakes this year then in the past 100 years. This does not include the volcano's that are waking up. Something bad will happen when mother earth starts acting like this, it may not be this year, but it may be next year or the year after. The quake you are talking about was even felt as low as Tenn. Even the state of Maine felt it. So it was a big one. I so want O.B. to cling to because if his predictions are right from all of his work, then we are all in big trouble.
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• United States
30 Jun 10
It is scary, but it is true, that things are to happen over the next few years, we are finally entering into the milky way rather ten being on the arm of it, so I am sure that things will be different once that happens for all of us. But still there are many things happening even now, that the scientists can't even figure out. Obedient was a scientist as well as someone that I always said was a very smart man, one of the smartest that I know of, but he also had been doing research on the earth itself for the past 20 years, so when he said something we all listened.
• Canada
24 Jun 10
You are scaring the daylight out of me now talking about predictions. WOW, as far down as Tenn?? I knew it was felt in Maine and Michigan but didnt know it was felt that far down. Lets hope we're all safe. Maybe now would be a good time to pray!!
@anjoism (35)
• Philippines
24 Jun 10
i saw it in the news here in the Philippines. it scares me as I've seen how the camera actually caught the shaking happened during a news airing and a press-con.
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• Canada
24 Jun 10
Wow, I never thought you'd see it on the news in the Philippines!! Oh yes, there was a press conference with some Minister and the expression on his face was worth a million. But I sure hope it never happens again.
@qianyun6 (2067)
• China
24 Jun 10
I can still remember the rumor of earthquake in my hometown. We all moved out from our home and sleep in camps at night. That was really scary. The rumor continued about a month. Finally we couldn't bear the inconvenience of living outside, and decided to entrust our life to destiny. The rumor hasn't been the truth till now. I experienced an earthquake in my university, I lied in bed and suddenly felt shocked. I jumped down to the ground and got outside quickly, waited till night. The next day news reported that was an earthquake of 3.4 magnitude.
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• Canada
24 Jun 10
I didnt know they could predict earthquakes, but as you said, probably not. Ours was a 5.0 magnitude and it felt awful. I can imagine what it must have been like for you as you were laying in bed. Must have been really terrifying. Glad you're ok though.
@chuck2 (183)
• Philippines
24 Jun 10
I had also a bad experienced of earthquake in my high school days. During that time we were having our final examination and suddenly, the chairs were shaking and my classmates were screaming around and then the whole class started to panic. Eventually, the earthquake stops and thanks god! no one was hurt, the earthquake last only for 40 seconds. After that traumatic experienced,I learned many lessons about earthquakes.
• Canada
24 Jun 10
Sure is scary the first time, is it? Glad nobody was hurt. We learn our lesson after, I have too. Ours lasted maybe 30 seconds but it seemed much longer!
• India
24 Jun 10
today on mylot i hear a lot of earthquakes even in canada
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• Canada
24 Jun 10
Yes even in Canada, so you know its bad, as we're not used to get them.