Search is on to find shelter for Italian earthquake homeless
● First, smaller, shock meant people had already left buildings
Authorities scrambled to find housing yesterday for thousands of people displaced by a pair of strong earthquakes that struck the same region of central Italy hit by a deadly quake in August.
The two quakes occured some two hours apart on Wednesday evening, meaning that many people were out of harm’s way before the second, more powerful quake, which toppled many historic buildings that had survived previous jolts.
But no-one was trapped in rubble and there were no reports of serious injuries. The only death in the aftermath was attributed to a heart attack in a 73-year-old man.
Thousands of people ran outside into a downpour, and many slept in their cars as it was too late for authorities to arrange emergency shelter. The government yesterday earmarked €40 million (£36m) to help rebuild, while civil protection officials said the first priority would be to find people hotels and other structures.
“We have to avoid that people sleep in cars or tents,” said the head of Italy’s civil protection agency, Fabrizio Curcio. “The plan is to bring people to hotels and then to come up with temporary solutions with calm.”
Mayors of towns scattered in the mountain region spanning the Umbria and Marche regions say many more homes were rendered uninhabitable, on top of those damaged in the devastating August quake. In the town of Ussita, Mayor Marco Rinaldi said his town had been “devastated”, with up to 80 per cent of the houses no longer inhabitable.
Macerata prefect Roberta Preziotti said people were able to react quickly to the first quake because of the early hour.
“And by the time the second,
0 Those made homeless make their way to shelters stronger quake hit there was no-one still in their houses. There was a quick reaction thanks to the time of day, which allowed an immediate evacuation,” she said.
For some people in the mountainous region, the second jolt felt stronger than the 24 August quake that killed nearly 300 people. Seismologists say the two new quakes and clusters of smaller shocks were aftershocks to the deadly event.
“This time the house was upside down, everywhere, the walls, the cupboards, the wardrobes were moving. The big wooden, heavy wardrobes were moving, were sliding around,” Elena Zabunchi, a Ukrainian resident of Visso said.
Camerino Mayor Gianluca Pasqui said the town’s historic bell tower had collapsed, but emphasized that reconstruction work after a 6.1 scale quake in 1997 appeared to have contributed to the absence of serious injury.
“I can say that the city didn’t have victims. That means that even if there is a lot of damage probably there construction in the historic centre was done in a correct and adequate manner. Because otherwise, we would be speaking of something else,” Pasqui said.
The president of Umbria region, Catiuscia Marini, told RAI state television that officials are working to come up with temporary housing, mindful that, with winter approaching and temperatures dropping, tents can’t be deployed as they were after the August quake.
The concern for the predominantly elderly population of the remote mountain region was repeated by other officials.
Marini said that after the quakes many people will be fearful of staying even in hotels deemed safe, and that solutions like campers were being considered.
Curcio said they were looking for solutions out of the quake zone and toward the coast.
“We don’t have injured, we have people who are very afraid, who have anxiety, especially the elderly,” she said.
In Visso there are about 800 people without shelter.