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Small earthquake shakes North Okanagan

Quake centred 14 kilometres east of Vernon; shakes homes and buildings from Vernon to Lumby...
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An earthquake 14 kilometres east of Vernon was felt in Lumby


A small earthquake shook the North Okanagan just after noon Thursday.

The quake recorded was a 2.9 magnitude, according to the Geological Survey of Canada.

“It was centred 14 kilometres east of Vernon,” said earthquake seismologist Alison Bird.

“It’s pretty routine to have smaller-sized earthquakes in that area.”

Lordco Auto Parts Lumby employee Mike Mitton was one of about six people in the store on Industrial Avenue at around 12:05 p.m.

“All of sudden there was a large boom, it shook everything,” said Mitton.

“We thought somebody had driven into the back corner of the building. We went out to take a look but there was nothing there.”

Lorna Wood was enjoying a cup of coffee in her BX home near Dixon Dam Road when her pomeranian, Honey, began acting strange.

“Honey was going crazy, barking and wouldn’t stop, she was running around the kitchen,” said Wood. “I thought something was wrong with her. Then, the ground rumbled, it kind of went from the left of the house to the right of the house.

“My coffee cup was rattling on the counter.”

Posts on social media suggest residents also felt the earthquake on Middleton Mountain, near the Vernon Airport and in Lavington.