Earthquake in Italy

[Killer Angel]

Tonight an earthquake stroke Italy, 100 Km distance from Rome... it's big, but not so huge (6.3° Richter).
Sadly, in the centre of Italy, a lot of houses are old and not build to resist seismic stresses.

It's a sad day. :smallfrown:

[DraPrime]

Such a shame. That's one of my favorite countries. :smallfrown:

[Tharianor]

It's a very sad day indeed!
I was going to post to propose a collettive minunte of mourning!

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

Sad. Where was the earthquake centered? The South of Italy has always been my favourite part.

[Tharianor]

Central Italy, Abruzzo.
My region isn't largely known outside of Italy.
By the way I wasn't in the interested area, still....:smallsigh:

[adam_antio]

ciao :)

anyway, it was a disaster. 150+ people died, and about 50.000+ became homeless. A lot of lovely little medieval towns totally collapsed, as a large part of Aquila*, the capital region of Abruzzo. The earthquake was sensed also here in Rome, about 90km far from the epicentre, a lot of people running away on streets. A very sad night. I was all screaming and awaking my familiars °L°

*how is translated in English, if ther is a translation? Literally Aquila means "Eagle".

[Lupy]

That's terrible! Your poor geologically unstable beautiful country. :frown:

[Canadian]

Oh well. It'll do well for their construction industry. People need new homes and the world economy is pretty depressed these days. At least they'll get a few new jobs out of it.

[dish]

I think it's a bit early to be saying that, Canadian, when they're still pulling people out of the rubble. Here's wishing the Italian emergency services all the best will and fastest speed possible. Also hoping the death toll doesn't rise any more.

[bluewind95]

I read about it... I feel really sorry for the people who were affected by that. A very nasty thing, that. I'm just glad that more people weren't killed.

[afroakuma]

From our Italian department, our sincere condolences.

[Killer Angel]

17000 homeless and 179 dead, still counting...
Luckily, our Emergency services are good and were ready to action since the first hours, and this helped a lot.
Well, a lot of old houses went down, and i can see why (from middle age to first years of 1900, there was no building tecnology against earthquake), but why on earth an Hospital, builded in year 2000, has been damaged to the point that must be evacuated? :smallsigh:

Anyway, it's good to see that there is some italian playgrounder 'round here. I knew only a couple, but there are more.
Thanx to all of you for your moral support.

[Ossian]

And it's just as nice that the playground is showing its solidarity to us Italians. Much appreciated mates, seriously.

Still, let me post some bitter rants. Quick foreword: I write from Sardinia, which is just like saying that I am writing to you all from Atlantis (or what is left of it). The island settled (geologically speaking) before people started counting time. Yes, just "between the time when the Oceans sank Atlantis and the coming of the sons of Arius", in that age undreamt of. No underwater rift valleys. No volcanoes. No killer stuff.

The situation is a hell of a lot different on the other side of the Nation. All the adriatic coast is what you call a high risk area. There are quakes very often, and ...and ... and.... this is where my bitterness comes out. Let me explain you my point of view, and why I am so ashamed of being Italians sometimes (well, quiote often, recently).

It's frikkin +1°F at night and just a bit above that by day. Bad time to be displaced and to have to dig people out of the ruins. What angers me the most is that the place is such a well known seismic area, and yet we are too busy after the squabbling of our government to actually do what we must. It wasn't that bad a sisma (i.e. a shock), you know? 6° Richter, serious but not the BIG ONE. There is one EVERY DAY in Japan, and probably in California as well.

The thing is that our houses might not be sheds, but especially in the old downtowns full of history and whatnot they are NOT properly built. We have good crisis management, we kick ass in reacting to anger, but despite having had our country frikkin FLATTENED by the ever loving Mother Nature several times over, we haven't done much in the way of prevention.

Ceiling lamps have been swinging like Foucault's pendulum ever since January, just so you know. AND the Quake was just 1 degree below the one that razed the Irpinia region to the ground 29 years ago, and yet 30 times LESS powerful. Now, check the disaster and the death toll. It doesn't take much to shatter this country...
California is a lot more seismic, Japan has a 6° richter EVERY DAY, and still, they don't get that many casualties, do they?

Yesterday this moron (a government henchman, to say the least) saud there is no way to predict the coming of an earthquake , or where it will be centered. Sure...well, we KNOW it's coming, we don' t need instruments for that. And they will keep coming, for thousands of years from now. It's like "predicting the arrival of a 20d6 fireball" . Who cares to predict it! Give me a DR100 fireshield for God's Sake.

So, why don't we do that? Why don't we protect the lifes of our own countrymen and women. Why do we let our beautiful country crumble to dust? If we didn't give a darn about lifes, why not bother protecting valuable economical assets?

Because there is such a huge, undescribable Mafia going on in this rotting country. THIS is what makes me bitter. That we COULD have done something, and yet nothing or too little was done. We have this Bertolaso paladin, ready to jump on situations such as this one, just like for the Sri Lanka tsunami and every other bad day that ever was on Earth in the last 20 years, but I do not see construction yards and engineers tirelesslòy working day and night to prevent or at least alleviate the consequences of the quake that we already know is coming!

Shelter builders, service providers, all like vultures, all feeding from that pie of grief like you have no idea. The media, feeding on our own sense of solidarity (which is amazing, and a big thankful hug goes to all the volunteers and the professionals who put their asses on the line of fire yesterday, I love you guys)

And just what does our government do? They throw down the drain billions to save a dead air company (Alitalia) basically giving US its debts and keeping the profits for a joint venture of industrialists close to the prime minister (the moron who keeps ridiculing us in the face of the world, last but not least chancellor Angela Merkel and....gosh H.R.M. The Queen!!!!).

To top that, instead of securing and making anti-seismic the band that goes from Abruzzo down to Calabria, they start building the blasted bridge on the Messina strait (which we all know it's going to be a waste of money managed exclusively by the Sicilian mafia which will bring the country on its knees...and mark my words Sicily and the peninsula are floating 1/2 inch per year in opposite directions!!! It's gonna crumble to dust anyway in 50 years for god's sake!).

We still have people living in shelters since 1980 because of other Earthquakes...and we haven't learnt much from that lesson. Despite all the warnings! AGH! I am so mad....Well, sorry for the rant, I had to vent that , I guess.

Love you all guys. I am close to all the unlucky fellows who lost their homes, and possibly a lot more than that. We will be back, we will survive this, we will become stronger. After all, we are still Italians, we may not speak languages, we may not be the most accountable people on Earth, but what the hell we are resilient, tough as nails legionaries inside.

M.

[Zincorium]

And of course, no one saw it coming, right? (http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1889644,00.html)

I'm sorry, it's a tragedy and all, but earthquakes aren't something you plan on not happening. Buildings can be built so they aren't a hazard in and of themselves during earthquakes. People can be educated on how to survive. Avoidable deaths should, by any rational measure, be avoided, and I hope something good comes of the carnage. But I doubt it.

[Ossian]

And of course, no one saw it coming, right? (http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1889644,00.html)

I'm sorry, it's a tragedy and all, but earthquakes aren't something you plan on not happening. Buildings can be built so they aren't a hazard in and of themselves during earthquakes. People can be educated on how to survive. Avoidable deaths should, by any rational measure, be avoided, and I hope something good comes of the carnage. But I doubt it.

QFT all of the above! Giuliani didn't get the exact spot of the epicenter, but he got the wekk it would happen! Radon emissions were raising all through winter, and was a warning enough. When s**t hits the fan, in Italy, it's of course nobody's fault, if you listen to Bertolaso. Just like Zincorium justly said, we should assume there will be quakes, and prepare accordingly. Lack of funds ios just a blatant excuse, for money we do have, and a lot, but i goes to bonuses for top mamagers after they go bankrupt (like tipping your own rapist, basically).

M.

[Killer Angel]

QFT all of the above! Giuliani didn't get the exact spot of the epicenter, but he got the wekk it would happen!

M.


Saying that earthquake cannot be predicted is only partially true.
NOW, we cannot predict them, but the job of science, is to go forward. One day, earthquakes will be predicted.
Meanwhile, we must collect all the infos we can; step by step. Studies on Radon are one step.
Now it's impossible to evacuate a region only on a theory, but for God's sake, you CANNOT consider garbage the work of scientists, because "earthquake cannot be predicted".
I wonder who was the first wizard in succeeding researching an epic spell: how can he do such a thing? in AD&D times, we all knew that Epic was not for mortal men.


Well, it has been a tragedy, but talkin 'bout prevention in Italy, it's an inappropriate topic, which enters too much on real world politics. Please limit the posts to condolences and solidarity, thanks.

[Tharianor]

Well, a lot of old houses went down, and i can see why (from middle age to first years of 1900, there was no building tecnology against earthquake), but why on earth an Hospital, builded in year 2000, has been damaged to the point that must be evacuated? :smallsigh:

Probably because the Hospital, despite all the anti-sismic laws there are in this Country, was built cutting expenses somewere.. or maybe is the type of earthquake

I'm in Genova right now for work reasons, but my mother told me that in Pescara, were I live, was quite well, without damages still because we are on the coast

[Tharianor]

Well, it has been a tragedy, but talkin 'bout prevention in Italy, it's an inappropriate topic, which enters too much on real world politics. Please limit the posts to condolences and solidarity, thanks.

Yes! You are right! I think in this occasion it is important discuss other things.

So: all the italian that can go donate blood for the wounded!

[Killersquid]

Central Italy, Abruzzo.
My region isn't largely known outside of Italy.
By the way I wasn't in the interested area, still....:smallsigh:

Crap. My extended family is located that region, in a small village, hope they're alright. I heard L'Aquila was hit hard though, about 1500 injured.

[Roderick_BR]

I heard it in the news when I had just woken up yesterday. A tragedy, really. I just felt a little relieved when I heard the place was not on Rome, where I know some people, but still, my feelings to the deceased and homeless families.

[Tharianor]

Crap. My extended family is located that region, in a small village, hope they're alright.

Killersquid your family has Italian origin?
It's a tragedy!

[Ossian]

Well, the death toll was 211, about three hours ago. It might very well go up, and there are still shocks. Even the weakest ones, right now, might tear down the damaged structures. Camps are being set up for thousands of homeless, two tendopolis will host them and more are being set up.

On the (few and far between) good news side, US government might actually help us remedy to what material damage we have suffered.

http://www.ansa.it/site/notizie/awnplus/english/news/2009-04-07_107349417.html

M.

[Tharianor]

Well, the death toll was 211, about three hours ago. It might very well go up, and there are still shocks. Even the weakest ones, right now, might tear down the damaged structures. Camps are being set up for thousands of homeless, two tendopolis will host them and more are being set up.

On the (few and far between) good news side, US government might actually help us remedy to what material damage we have suffered.

http://www.ansa.it/site/notizie/awnplus/english/news/2009-04-07_107349417.html

M.

Well this is a good thing. Obama shows its personal touch in this contingency.

Again about the last shock wave, my mother said tha was quite strong!

[Ossian]

Well this is a good thing. Obama shows its personal touch in this contingency.

Again about the last shock wave, my mother said tha was quite strong!

Today at 19:50 (GMT +1) was roughly on the same power level with the previous strongest shock (3.30 AM, Monday, which is basically Sunday late at night). The potential for structural damage is thus higher, as it hits already damaged buildings. Luckily, now people are on very high alert and in safer places. A friend in Rome was driving in his car, on his way home, and he felt on the steering wheel, 2 hours drive away from the epicenter. Scary.

Keeping my fingers crossed for everyone there.

M.

[Tharianor]

The earthquake's epicentre has moved towards north, between abruzzo and Marche.
There have been other shakes between 00:55 AM and 06:43 AM (GMT +1), the strongest of which 5.2 Richter in Campotosto Thre have been some damages in this village and the sorrounding area. The population has already been evacuated.

The Geologists say this may go on for months.
I hope not!

P.S.: I excuse in the name of Italian people for Mr. Berlusconi joke!

[Ossian]

Today a mass service was held.

With the death toll just below 300, the area was filled with lines of coffins. It was really really sad. There was one, in particular, that got me. Well, the cameramen kept showing it, but it was really a sad sight. A standard coffin, in brown timber, say 6 feet long, and a smaller coffin, in white timber, less than 3 feet long, on top of it. On the small coffin, an action figure of a motorcycle stunt pilot. As I sad, really really sad.

Tough day, today. Really tough. There would be more to say but as it was justly pointed out, let's keep the thread for updates and forthose who want to show their sympathy to the aggrieved.

O.

[Tharianor]

Yes, that image stunned me!
Good funeral though.

[BlueWizard]

:smallfrown::smallfrown::smallfrown:

[Tharianor]

Yesterday evenig there have been other shakes, the strongest aroud 23:00 PM (GMT +1) 4.9 Richter!
I felt that for a few second, although i'm 50 km from the epicentre
Fortunately the rescue machine is working, despite the discussions!