15 years later: Remembering the 5.8-magnitude earthquake that shook Maryland and the East Coast

Fifteen years ago, a rare magnitude 5.8 earthquake rattled Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic, leaving millions of people shaken.

The Aug. 23, 2011, earthquake was strongly felt in Baltimore, damaging the Basilica of the Assumption, collapsing a church steeple in Fells Point and affecting infrastructure.

Cell phone service was disrupted as people attempted to contact loved ones. Many people stayed outside on sidewalks in downtown Baltimore rather than returning to their high-rise buildings.

The magnitude 5.8 earthquake was the largest to hit the East Coast since 1944.

The earthquake's epicenter was near Louisa, Virginia, in Louisa County, northwest of Richmond and south of Washington, D.C. The earthquake occurred about half a mile underground.

The ground shaking was felt at the White House and across the East Coast, as far south as Chapel Hill, North Carolina, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. People also reported feeling the earthquake in New York and Rhode Island.

In Washington, D.C., the quake caused extensive damage to the National Cathedral and the Washington Monument, which was closed for two years. The entire monument had to be covered in scaffolding for the $ 15 million in repairs and reinforcement.

Officials estimated the total damage across the region at $200 million.

"Everything was shaking. We didn't know what was going on and things were falling," a Baltimore resident told CBS News Baltimore.

"It was crazy. The building was shaking. And we all just kind of stopped and said, 'Did you feel that?'" another Baltimore resident added.