Main Street, Schools Intact Following Earthquake: 'I Thought the Building Was Falling Down'

"I thought the building was falling down. I ran out of the building like a crazy banshee," said Debbie Spittel administrative assistant for the Sykesville Police Department located near Main Street. 

This was the common theme Tuesday afternoon as a 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit the area, causing residents to evacuate buildings and congregate in parking lots following the temblor. 

"People had come out of their businesses on the side parking lot to try to get service on their cell phones. Of course, that was out of the question," said Spittel. 

According to Spittel there were no calls for damage in the area caused by the earthquake. 

Carroll County Public School Superintendent Stephen Guthrie sent a letter out to parents using the Alert Now system stating that none of the schools were seriously damaged by the earthquake. 

"Many of our schools reported that they experienced the earthquake at our school sites however, I want to assure you that initial assessments indicate that we did not suffer any major damage," said Guthrie in the statement. 

"As if the start of each new school year isn't exciting enough, Mother Nature decided to ramp it up a bit. We appear to be in excellent shape after the earthquake. We look forward to welcoming our students for an exciting first day of school," said Guthrie. 

No serious injuries or damage were reported in the Eldersburg and Sykesville areas although several residents reported how the quake affected them personally.

"I felt very strong rumbling in Carroll County,” said resident Carl Livesay. “It shook some pictures off the walls and lasted about a minute." 

"I was in Shoppers (grocery store) in Eldersburg when the earthquake hit and the shelves shook,” said Eldersburg resident and Patch contributor George Welty. “It was scary. I thought someone was on the other side pushing them over."

Eldersburg resident Ben Dean said he had never had such an experience.

"Wow! House shook violently for at least a minute and everything is still trembling,” he said.