Buildings in Canada Earthquake-Ready:Experts

The central and eastern regions of Canada are in good shape when it comes to the earthquake-resistance of their buildings despite the shake-up the regions received Wednesday, say experts.

An earthquake hit at 1:41 p.m. ET south of Echo Lake, Que., 60 kilometres north of Ottawa near the Ontario border. It was felt across southern and eastern Ontario and western Quebec, as well as in some U.S. states, including Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Jersey and New York.

With a magnitude of 5.0, it caused buildings to shake, leading many to fear that some structures could collapse. Many offices were evacuated as a precautionary measure

Overall, however, buildings in Quebec and Ontario are safe, said Samir Chidiac, a professor in the department of civil engineering at Hamilton, Ont.-based McMaster University.

"Buildings in Eastern and Central Canada are built to resist earthquakes that are most likely to occur in these regions," he told CBC News Thursday. "The National Building Code of Canada, which prescribes the seismic forces for all regions of Canada, is always being updated to account for new data or knowledge."

The only buildings whose ability to withstand earthquakes is unknown are ones built before 1970, says Glenn McGillivray, managing director of the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction in Toronto.

"Structures built after about 1970 would be able to withstand moderate events, although those built in the Charlevoix region of Quebec would be able to withstand major events," said McGillivray. "The formulas are complicated, but suffice to say that much depends on the region being considered, as requirements change from area to area."

McGillivray said that wood frame structures generally hold up better than masonry buildings and that the older the building, the greater the potential for damage.

"It appears that virtually all structures damaged in yesterday's event were historic in nature, built before — sometimes well before —1970," he said. "This is how we can see that better building codes work."