B.C. earthquake wakes up Vancouver, Victoria-area residents

B.C.'s South Coast was hit by anearthquake that shook many people from their sleep just before midnight, in what one seismologist called the largest quake in the region in years.

Some people near the epicentre northeast of Victoria reported their homes shifted,and others were knocked off their feet.

"The house moved seriously to the right, came back, it was loud. The aquarium had a mini-tsunami and overflowed.We were in the kitchen and got tossed into the counter," wrote one commenter on the CBC website.

Many reported feeling a large impact that felt like a truck hitting their homes, while others in Metro Vancouver reported windows rattling anditems on walls shaking.

"I'm about 6 km from the epicentre and it felt like a truck had crashed into my house," wrote another commenter.

"I felt it in the West End here of Vancouver and I looked out my window to see if a truck had hit the side of my building! It was quite a sharp jolt that made my walls bend and creak, but nothing really shook or swayed," wrote another.

Other reported feeling a wave move through their homes from one end to the other.

"It felt like my house shook starting in one corner of the house and moved (slowly, it seemed) across to the other corner, like a ripple. Pretty wild, and bizarre while it's happening!"

'Pretty big shake'

There were varying reports about the magnitude of the quake that struckat 11:39 p.m. PT. Natural Resources Canada initially measured itat 4.3 magnitude, but later updated that to 4.7, while the U.S. Geological Survey(USGS) reported 4.8.

The quakewas centred about 19 kilometres north-northeastof Victoria. The seismic activity was reportedly 42 kilometres deep.

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Earthquakes Canadasays there have been no reports of significant damage, and "none would be expected."

But many residents did report that cracks appeared in floors, ceilings and walls of homes.

Natural Resources Canada seismologistJohn Cassidy, who lives in Victoria, said he felt"a pretty big shake" for about 10 seconds.

"It's the largestearthquakein this region in many years," said Cassidy.

But he added:"Earthquakes are a lotmorecommon around the world than we might think ... it's notreally anunusual earthquake," withabout 1,000 similar"light to moderate"quakes felt globally every month.

He also said:"There is no pattern in this region for precursors to a larger earthquake, so this doesn't really tell us anything about when a larger earthquake may occur in the future.

"But it's very clearly is a good reminder of the seismicity in this region, that we live in a very active earthquake zone."

Given the depth of Tuesday'squake, he said it's unlikely there would be any aftershocks, but if there were any, theywouldbe light.

TransLinktemporarilyshut down theMillenniumand Expo lines of theSkyTrain, but spokeswomanAnne Drennan said they, along with bus bridges,were reopened for one last run.

BC Hydro said the earthquake hasn't impacted any transmission or distribution systems.

California quakes reportedearlier

Several hours earlier, a 4.4 magnitude quakestruck near San Bernardino, Calif.

The USGS said aftershocks of magnitude 3.8 and 3.2 came minutes later, and dozens of tiny aftershocks followed overthe next few hours.

Cassidysays it's unlikely the B.C. and Californiaquakes were linked, as they're part of different fault lines.

Reminder to be prepared

B.C. authorities and elected officials said althoughno significant damage had been reported in the province, the quake servesas a reminder to be prepared.

Essentials for large-scale disasters include:

• An emergency kit with extra water, food and supplies.
• A plan to reconnect with family and loved ones.
• Get more tips on preparing for an earthquake: before, during and after.