DAMN!!! I Just Experienced An Earthquake Here In Toronto Canada!!!

[Kristyn]

How utterly bizarre!!  I was standing in my washroom getting ready to shower when I heard a rumble which I thought was something being rolled down the hall as there is construction in the apartment across the hall.  Then everything started to shake and I heard creaking and cracking!!  DAMN!!!!  I'm just shaking!!!  Apparently this was felt as far away as New York  in Montreal and Ottawa too!!!   Not sure what the magnitude was, but this area is not very prone to this kind of event.  WOW!!!!!

Just heard it was mag 5.5!

[JessieMH]

Haha, we sleep through 5s out here in BC ;p

[tekla]

Yeah, as someone who's used to living on the fault line I'm pretty well versed on how disconcerting it is when the earth starts moving under you and you're not even like having sex or anything.  The sound is something real unique.  And no matter how many times it happens, you never quite get used to it.  Glad you're ok.

[LivingInGrey]

Yahoo News article

Glad to hear there wasn't much damage or any reports of injuries (large scale).

I've never experienced an earthquake. I can live with tornadoes, fires, arctic temperatures and such. But earthquakes just makes my spine shiver just thinking about having to deal with that once every year or so.

[Kristyn]

Yeah, as someone who's used to living on the fault line I'm pretty well versed on how disconcerting it is when the earth starts moving under you and you're not even like having sex or anything.  The sound is something real unique.  And no matter how many times it happens, you never quite get used to it.  Glad you're ok.

Thanks.  That's the thing that really freaked me out the most and is still with me is that low rumble sound.  I'm still shaking

[Eva Marie]

Earthquakes are surreal, eh? 

I'm in socal on business quite often, and i experienced the 7.2 easter quake (epicenter 100 miles away), and more recently a 5.3 that was pretty close to where i am staying.

I haven't got used to them yet 

[tekla]

Yeah, the sound is so low, and so deep and coming right out of the ground.  Nothing else like it, people try to say it's like this, or that, but it's not, it's unique.

And remember, earthquakes are measured with a Richter Scale, so that each number is double the strength of the one before it, so a 6. is twice as strong as a 5.  The Loma Prieta (89 World Series) had a magnitude of 6.9, and the big one in 06 is estimated to be around 8.2 - 8.3.

I was on the 16th floor of an office building once for a 5.2, talk about rocking.

[Kristyn]

Earthquakes are surreal, eh? 

I'm in socal on business quite often, and i experienced the 7.2 easter quake (epicenter 100 miles away), and more recently a 5.3 that was pretty close to where i am staying.

I haven't got used to them yet 

I don't think I would ever get used to it.  If I could feel this much at 5.5 I can only imagine what 7.2 would be like.  I swear, I'm still shaking!!!

[tekla]

At 7+ buildings start to fall apart.  Its a bit late now, but you should try to get under a table, desk or into a doorway.

[Kristyn]

Yeah, the sound is so low, and so deep and coming right out of the ground.  Nothing else like it, people try to say it's like this, or that, but it's not, it's unique.

And remember, earthquakes are measured with a Richter Scale, so that each number is double the strength of the one before it, so a 6. is twice as strong as a 5.  The Loma Prieta (89 World Series) had a magnitude of 6.9, and the big one in 06 is estimated to be around 8.2 - 8.3.

I was on the 16th floor of an office building once for a 5.2, talk about rocking.

It has just been downgraded to a 5.  I can only imagine what double that would feel like and I wouldn't want to be in a tall building to experience it.  I'm only three floors up
Post Merge: June 23, 2010, 02:29:52 PM

At 7+ buildings start to fall apart.  Its a bit late now, but you should try to get under a table, desk or into a doorway.

Thanks!  Smart-Ass!   

[Eva Marie]

At 7+ buildings start to fall apart.  Its a bit late now, but you should try to get under a table, desk or into a doorway.

I typically stay on the top floor of my hotel, so if it collapses at least i'm near the top of the pile 

[Kristyn]

I typically stay on the top floor of my hotel, so if it collapses at least i'm near the top of the pile 

That's no consolation   

[tekla]

There is a big huge massive ad/public service campaign in the SF area called "72 Hours" which stresses that in the event of any real major event (and that is a matter of 'when' not 'if') that everyone better be able to get by on their own for 72 hours before expecting any real help.  So a couple of bottles of wine are nice, a couple of gallons of drinkable water are must, etc.

Everyone's real nightmare here though is being on one of the bridges, in the LP earthquake a deck fell out of the Bay Bridge and a couple of cars fell into the abyss.  That thought scares even me.

And, this one too.  The official calculations by the SF Emergency Department foresees over 25 feet of broken glass filling the streets downtown where the big office towers are.

And it does not much matter where in any building you are over the 6th floor, because that's as high as a hook and ladder can reach.  I know people who insist on being on five or below any where they stay.  Me, I figure might as well pay the odds..

[Kristyn]

Everyone's real nightmare here though is being on one of the bridges, in the LP earthquake a deck fell out of the Bay Bridge and a couple of cars fell into the abyss.  That thought scares even me.

I remember seeing that on CNN.  Our city is filled with valleys and ravines and we have tons of bridges spanning across freeways--subways too

[justmeinoz]

It made the news her in Australia too. Glad everyone is ok.

[Kristyn]

It made the news her in Australia too. Glad everyone is ok.

Really?  No damage reported, but a lot of crazy stories are beginning to pop up.  Like the guy who was 23 storys up washing windows.  He lost equipment off his lift and he was swaying back and forth.  When he got down he quit his job on the spot.

It was funny, when it happened I was listening to a talk station and the host interrupted his interview to ask "Is it just me, or is this building shaking?  I think we just had an earthquake."

Everytime I think about it, I'm still buzzing about it!  Never experienced anything like this in my life.

[juststarting]

Glad that your ok Kristyn getting a little anxious for Montreal yet!
Ashley

[Miniar]

...

awww, I missed it... couldn't you have waiter 'til next month?
I like earthquakes...

[Amy85]

I felt it over here in London, ON too. Though it was fairly weak by the time it got to me. I just felt my bed gently rocking back and forth. I thought it a bit weird, and then rolled over and went back to sleep 

[Kristyn]

Glad that your ok Kristyn getting a little anxious for Montreal yet!
Ashley

Hi Ashley.  I guess I'm a little excited, just taking it one day at a time.  Making sure that all the bases are covered--hoping my medical tests will be ok, buying all the necessary things, etc

Nice to hear from you, hope all is well