Google can basically show the street address of the earthquake
Amid hilarious speculation that Quebec is literally separating from the rest of Canada, there is some actual news coming out about the 5.5 magnitude tremor that was felt from Windsor to Montreal. First off, the location: the U.S. Geological Survey site provides several maps indicating where the quake was felt, including this one from Google Maps, which all but gives the street address of the epicentre.
Second, our public servants down on Queen Street have produced a media release saying that an “initial assessment” has revealed that there has been no major damage to Toronto infrastructure or to the TTC. They also take the opportunity to link the quake to the G20, boasting a bit about their preparedness:
The City’s Emergency Operations Centre is up and running in preparation for the G20 so the City is uniquely prepared to respond to the event. We will continue to monitor the situation and will report as necessary.
Totally predictably, there are all kinds of earthquake-related items popping up on-line. Videos, like this one and this one and this one (those poor fish), are already getting floods of traffic despite having almost no value.
UPDATE: And now this: earthquakeintoronto.com, where visitors can share their experiences of the earthquake (spilled coffee, overactive swivel chairs, jiggling light fixtures). Is it just us, or is this all getting a bit overblown?
• Earthquake shakes Ontario and Quebec [Toronto Star]
• Earthquake shakes central Canada [Globe and Mail]
• Earthquake: an Internet event [Hamilton Spectator]
