EARTHQUAKE!!!!!!!

So, I was chatting with one of my co-workers as the toddlers slept at 1:41pm today when all of a sudden the building started to shake . . . the first thought through my head was that someone knocked over something large . . . but the shaking and noise continued . . . my second thought was "what the hell?  did something crash into the building?" . . . finally, about the time it was all over, my brain came back on and I said "I bet that was an earthquake".

The two other staff who were with me thought I was crazy . . . we don't get earthquakes!  Although I don't recall ever having felt a quake, I knew that they did occur around here.  Before we had really even figured out what had happened, the phone started ringing . . . parents calling to make sure that we were all OK . . . it wasn't until a few hours later that I realized that I am a horrible mother, in my flurry to check in with all the other staff and start answering the phone (my supervisor was out of the building at the time) I never even checked in on my own child!  Mostly, however, the kids didn't even react!  The toddlers were still on their beds, many still asleep and the babies were pretty much oblivious!

As new trickled in through the afternoon, we found out that it was a 5.5 magnitude (which was later reduced to 5.0) quake centered in Val du Bois, Quebec (about 56 km northeast of Ottawa).  It was the third largest quake that this area has experienced this century. 

Luckily, there wasn't much damage, no injuries and only a few minor power outages in Ottawa.  There was more damage experienced closer to the epicenter in Quebec, but again, no injuries have been reported.  Many government buildings were evacuated, but most of us had to go on with our day.

On newspaper article I read, told about a Senate Meeting that was in session at the time of the quake.  Everyone in the building was evacuated and the meeting had to be continued on the lawn of the Parliament Buildings as they needed to formally adjourn the meeting.  Earthquake Sends Senators Outside

Although many people that experienced the quake were frightened by the shaking and the mere thought that we could have a quake of this magnitude here, I wasn't bothered by it.  I actually thought that it was an interesting experience.  Don't get me wrong, I know that earthquakes can be serious business, but this one was not.  And I am not one to over react to things.  If there was wide spread damage or injuries, I am sure that I would feel differently.  But for now, I can say that I have experienced and earthquake and thought that it was kind of neat!