working on boat during earthquake,today

[David Balmer]

whilst working on one of my boats in the bsmt, the whole house started to shake. Lots of rumbling then decided to run with dog in tow. As things started to move around me and fall off the wall. Got outside and still could hear rumbling for another 5-10 secs.
Just reported a 5.5 meg quake centred only approx 60kms for Ottawa. Wife evacuated from downtown goverment office. Everything has gone nuts in the city. waiting for possible after shocks. area covering quebec/ontario and eastern seaboard. boston/newyork/ohio.:canada:

[Mike]

It was on the news here at 7:00pm this evening, David. They didn't say if anyone was killed, just that there was a moderate earthquake centred a little north of Ottawa and that the tremors had been felt as far off as Toronto.

Trust you and yours are all okay and that nobody was actually killed? I seriously doubt whether Canadian buildings have been built without the ability to withstand tremors but you never know what can happen in some buildings, even those built more recently.

Kind of a humbling experience when nature shows us how puny we humans really are, isn't it?

Regards

[George Waite]

Amen to that mike, I spent a couple of nights sleeping on the roof of a hotel in Iran some years ago following a severe tremor. I figured that the flat roof would be the last thing to fall and all the piccys that I had ever seen seemed to show this type of roof intact. Upsets your head a bit when the planet moves under your feet!

[Mike]

Yes, indeed, George. The only quake I've experienced was about 40 years ago in Perth, Western Australia. It was centred in a remote place on the way out towards Kalgoorlie, called Meckering, but we sure as hell felt it all those miles away in Perth.

I was standing in the street when it hit and thought I was ill as I watched my parked car begin to move sideways across the road. Didn't last long but it was the weirdest thing. Some time afterwards, I had cause to travel to Kalgoorlie and saw the way the earth had been rippled at Meckering. There was a distinct crease stretching far across towards the horizon and the road was buckled where it creased. There was also a section of Freeway in Perth that buckled quite badly and they took years to get the kink out.

Can't recall the Richter Scale reading but it was not considered too serious. I shudder to think what a real biggie would have done, especially with most buildings in Perth sitting on a vast plain of little more than sand. I've heard that buildings can sink rapidly into sand when it is vibrated by earthquake tremors. Not a pleasant thought, a choice between asphyxiation in sand or crushing under piles of rubble.

I'm with you in heading for the roof if unable to exit rapidly at ground level.

Fascinating place, this earth on which we live, is it not?