Canadian Earthquake Rattles Miami Valley

A rare earthquake, measuring 5.0, struck at the Ontario-Quebec border region of Canada Wednesday afternoon and the tremors could be felt all over the Miami Valley.

The earthquake struck at 1:42 p.m. and at the same time, people felt tremors and reported power outages in parts of the area including downtown Dayton. There were also multiple reports of traffic signals out and people trapped in elevators near the University of Dayton.

However, it was quickly discovered that the power outages were not related to the earthquake.

The Dayton Fire Department responded to 40 West 4th Street, Premier Health Partners, on the report of violent shaking in the building. Employees were evacuated, but fire officials found no damage.

The Ohio Emergency Management Agency sent out a memo at 2:45 p.m. alerting authorities to the Canadian quake. There were no reports of damage in Ohio so far, said Jeffrey Jordan, director of the Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management.

Officials at Miami Valley Hospital said the lights flickered on and off and chairs and desks swayed, but the hospital never lost power.

The quake was felt in Toronto, Canada, Ohio, Michigan, Vermont and New York. There are no reports of immediate damage.

The USGS reported the quake occurred at a depth of about 12 miles.

The quake lasted for about 30 seconds, rattling downtown buildings and homes in Ottawa and Toronto, as well as government offices across the Ottawa River in Gatineau, Quebec. Several buildings in Toronto and the Ottawa were evacuated.

People as far as Cincinnati reported feeling a slight shaking.