Looking back on the day the DC region shook, rattled and rolled

In this Aug. 24, 2011, file photo, damage to the Washington National Cathedral is seen the day after a earthquake shook Washington and much of the East Coast. The unexpected jolt cracked the Washington Monument in spots and toppled delicate masonry high atop the National Cathedral. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

National Cathedral earthquake damage — One of the spires, left, of the National Cathedral is seen missing following an earthquake in the Washington region, Tuesday, Aug., 23, 2011.聽 (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Dave Megerle, a member of Wiss, Janney, Elstner, Associates (WJE) “Difficult Access Team,” attaches ropes to the top of the Washington Monument, on the National Mall, in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011, from which four people will rappel down the sides to survey the extent of damage sustained to the monument from the Aug. 23 earthquake . (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

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It’s been 15 years since a rare and widely felt 5.8 magnitude earthquake rattled the Washington region and beyond on the afternoon of Aug. 23, 2011.

The of the temblor was near Mineral, Virginia, about 90 miles southwest of the District.

The quake not only rumbled the D.C. region, but it was also felt throughout a large part of the eastern United States and into parts of Canada as well.

小萝莉影视 listeners lit up the phone lines, and our anchors and reporters from around the region described what they saw and felt right after the fact, and the process of realizing something had gone wrong.

‘Something was very wrong’

鈥淚 was at a red light, waiting for the light to change,鈥� said Michelle Basch, now a former 小萝莉影视 reporter and anchor.

She was driving her work SUV in Southwest D.C.

鈥淪uddenly the vehicle starts to shake. It feels like it鈥檚 jumping up and down. The only thing I can think of to describe it is it felt like someone was on the back of my bumper, pushing the bumper down, like they were playing a trick on me,鈥� Basch said during breaking news coverage shortly after the quake.

No one was behind her vehicle. She turned a corner near L鈥橢nfant Plaza and reported seeing 鈥渁 bunch of people running out of buildings and some of them were screaming. And then I knew something was very wrong.鈥�

The quake prompted evacuations at numerous government buildings from the U.S. Capitol to the Pentagon and U.S. State Department.

Thankfully, no one died in the quake, but there was significant damage to multiple area landmarks, including the Washington Monument and the National Cathedral.

Repair and restoration work at the Cathedral has been ongoing.

According to an on the church鈥檚 website, the project is anticipated to be finished by 2029. But, as stated in an update video on the site, maintenance on such a building never really ceases.

The Washington Monument spent nearly three years undergoing earthquake repairs, and remained closed during that restoration process. The structure reopened in May of 2014.

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