A cleanup crew surveys the damage to a church in Gracefield, Que., after the earthquake Wednesday. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)

A century-old church in Gracefield, Que., and an Ottawa arena are closed to the public after the two buildings were damaged in Wednesday's 5.0-magnitude earthquake.

Jean René Sirois, the priest at Notre-Dame-de-la-Visitation in Gracefield, said many parishioners were shocked to see the damage to the church, which was about 50 kilometres from the quake's epicentre. The chimney of the village's Roman Catholic church fell, taking part of the roof with it. However, the full extent of the damage is not yet known.

"For now, we don't expect to use the church for the weekend, for sure," he said. "Then afterward, we'll see."

The tremor hit at 1:41 p.m. ET south of Echo Lake, Que., 60 kilometres north of Ottawa near the Ontario border and was felt across southern and eastern Ontario and western Quebec, as well as in some U.S. states.

In Montreal, some people felt the rumble — but some didn't even realize the city had been hit by an earthquake. The tremors, which lasted about 30 seconds, rattled buildings in Toronto and Ottawa, as well as government offices across the Ottawa River in Gatineau, Que.

Gracefield initially called for emergency help due to the damage, which also included a collapsed ceiling at its community centre. The shaking knocked down tombstones and loosened lumber and bolts on a local bridge, forcing the town to block access to the crossing. But it lifted the state of emergency on Thursday after engineers determined most of the village's buildings remain structurally sound.

Other damage in the region included a landside that rendered a section of Highway 307 in Quebec impassable and a bridge's collapse into a river near the same highway, close to Bowman, Que.

30 schools also affected

Meanwhile, at Barbara Ann Scott Arena in Ottawa's Nepean area, gaps have appeared between the bricks in the upper part of the walls, leading to concerns they could fall and injure or kill arena users.

Barbara Ann Scott Arena in Ottawa is closed so workers can remove bricks loosened by the quake, which could fall. (Simon Gardner/CBC)

"It's obvious that blocks could come down and they want to remove everything as fast as possible then bring another engineer to see if the structure is good or what," said Stéfane Ménard, a masonry worker hired by the city to fix the problem.

The arena isn't expected to reopen until next week.

At least 30 Ottawa schools were damaged, but only four have possible structural problems and none has been closed. Several other municipal buildings are also damaged, including one fire station near the Barbara Ann Scott Arena that ended up with a crack in its wall.

John Ash, the city's chief of integrated public safety, said 100 inspectors worked hard well into the evening "and even the early hours of the morning."

As of Thursday at noon, they had completed inspections in all occupied city buildings, as well as the city's transit and traffic systems, Ash reported.

In addition, they kept in close contact with the Ministry of Transportation to make sure Highway 416 and Highway 417 were structurally sound.

"And they very quickly conducted their assessment and reported back that everything was fine from that standpoint."

Meanwhile, some private buildings suffered damage as well. Some CBC News readers sent in photos of cracks that appeared in their foundations following the quake.

Insurance may not cover repairs

Ash said if residents want to follow up on damage to their homes, they should first call their insurance agent.

"If you are concerned in regards to the structural integrity of your home, certainly do not be in your home," he advised.

Anyone with such concerns should contact emergency services, he said.

Gracefield homeowner Lise Proulx called her insurance company about the cracks that appeared in her basement, and was told her policy wouldn't cover the cost of the repairs.

"They do not insure those things because it is an act of God," she recalled.

As of Thursday morning, Public Works had reopened every federal building in the National Capital Region, including Place du Portage's Phase 3 building.

With files from The Canadian Press and The Associated Press