6.2 Earthquake rocks central Italy
August 24, 2016 12:01 AM Subscribe
At 3.36AM local time a 6.2 quake hit between the Rieti and Ascoli Piceno provinces.
Rescue efforts to Accumoli, one of the towns closest to the epicenter, have been hampered by blocked mountainous roads. Repubblica.it live news feed in Italian
Amatrice is devastated. Birthplace of spaghetti all'amatriciana, the 50th edition of the Festival of Amatriciana was supposed to be held this weekend.
18 aftershocks occured in the hour and a half after the initial event, the biggest the largest of which were ML 5.1 & ML 5.4 at 04:32 and 04:33 respectivly, 5 km from Norcia in the Perugia province. The INGV has an experimental Twitter feed that updates seismic events in almost real time, as well as a blog.
Rescue efforts to Accumoli, one of the towns closest to the epicenter, have been hampered by blocked mountainous roads. Repubblica.it live news feed in Italian
Amatrice is devastated. Birthplace of spaghetti all'amatriciana, the 50th edition of the Festival of Amatriciana was supposed to be held this weekend.
18 aftershocks occured in the hour and a half after the initial event, the biggest the largest of which were ML 5.1 & ML 5.4 at 04:32 and 04:33 respectivly, 5 km from Norcia in the Perugia province. The INGV has an experimental Twitter feed that updates seismic events in almost real time, as well as a blog.
The USGS lists landslides as the most devastating secondary effect for earthquakes in the region. Some other interesting info on that page.
posted by clorox at 12:29 AM on August 24, 2016
posted by clorox at 12:29 AM on August 24, 2016
The earthquake in L'Aquila, over which seven scientists were charged, previously.
posted by Joe in Australia at 12:50 AM on August 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Joe in Australia at 12:50 AM on August 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
Does Italy have infrastructure for earthquakes like this, or are they so infrequent that it hasn't come about in the way that it has in California? Can earthquakes of this magnitude initiate volcanic activity?
It does have infrastructure*, though I wouldn't know how it compares to Cali. The problem as I saw in a news feed earlier this morning was that they couldn't even land the helicopters. They're currently digging by hand in Accumoli.
The INGV monitors the volcanos, too; I don't see any notice that Vesuvius might be awakening**, though obviously the quake registered there as well, seeing as it was felt from Rimini to Napoli. But yeah, landslides are the bigger danger in the region.
*The Protezione Civile website is hammered and they've put up a simple redirect with spare information about the quake, so I'm not going to link it.
**That would be a clusterfuck sans parallel.
posted by romakimmy at 12:51 AM on August 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
It does have infrastructure*, though I wouldn't know how it compares to Cali. The problem as I saw in a news feed earlier this morning was that they couldn't even land the helicopters. They're currently digging by hand in Accumoli.
The INGV monitors the volcanos, too; I don't see any notice that Vesuvius might be awakening**, though obviously the quake registered there as well, seeing as it was felt from Rimini to Napoli. But yeah, landslides are the bigger danger in the region.
*The Protezione Civile website is hammered and they've put up a simple redirect with spare information about the quake, so I'm not going to link it.
**That would be a clusterfuck sans parallel.
posted by romakimmy at 12:51 AM on August 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
NB - The INGV downgraded the quake to a 6.0. When I first started getting messages early this morning, it was first being reported as as 6.4.
Planning for the next Vesuvius eruption, previously and _dario's & my own comments providing some clarification on the case against the scientists in the Aquila earthqauke.
posted by romakimmy at 2:42 AM on August 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
Planning for the next Vesuvius eruption, previously and _dario's & my own comments providing some clarification on the case against the scientists in the Aquila earthqauke.
posted by romakimmy at 2:42 AM on August 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
Italy has infrastructure but one of the huge problems is the age of buildings and homes in towns like these. You can't bring them up to modern day seismic code without essentially tearing the whole lot down and rebuilding. Medieval homes are still generally better off than the shit that got erected in the 50s and 60s during the boom.
Earthquakes were a fact of life where I grew up in northern Italy, though thankfully none of them were ever as severe as the ones in central and southern Italy. The whole country is essentially one big pressure valve between the African and the Eurasian plates.
I don't think there's any more danger for Vesuvius than any regular day. Tremors are a constant, some just happen be stronger than others. Italian news are reporting at least 23 victims, with dozens more trapped and awaiting rescue or missing altogether. Many children among the dead. Fuck earthquakes.
posted by lydhre at 3:00 AM on August 24, 2016
Earthquakes were a fact of life where I grew up in northern Italy, though thankfully none of them were ever as severe as the ones in central and southern Italy. The whole country is essentially one big pressure valve between the African and the Eurasian plates.
I don't think there's any more danger for Vesuvius than any regular day. Tremors are a constant, some just happen be stronger than others. Italian news are reporting at least 23 victims, with dozens more trapped and awaiting rescue or missing altogether. Many children among the dead. Fuck earthquakes.
posted by lydhre at 3:00 AM on August 24, 2016
Disregard, in the time it took me to write that comment the confirmed victims are up to 38.
posted by lydhre at 3:05 AM on August 24, 2016
posted by lydhre at 3:05 AM on August 24, 2016
I don't see any notice that Vesuvius might be awakening
I was there a few weeks ago and to a tourist eye it looked very dead indeed FWIW; much quieter than Etna and not even close to the regular fireworks of Stromboli.
posted by Segundus at 4:02 AM on August 24, 2016
I was there a few weeks ago and to a tourist eye it looked very dead indeed FWIW; much quieter than Etna and not even close to the regular fireworks of Stromboli.
posted by Segundus at 4:02 AM on August 24, 2016
In Japan, we have the infrastructure, and the modern building code. This may not have resulted in any fatalities here.
And yet, in the wake of the 2011 Tohoku Quake and Tsunami (9M), there were isolated towns and villages which had had their sole means of access disrupted. One highway, one rail line into town. When those are destroyed, how do you get in badly needed supplies and medical assistance?
Since the Great Hanshin Quake of 1995 (6.9), we've spent gajillions upgrading infrastructure and revising building methods. Because we learned that a quake can break water lines, hamstringing firefighting efforts. Right now, one of my favorite bike paths has been diverted to allow the construction of an immense emergency reservoir (hardly the first of its kind -- my son's favorite park was cut in half by a similar project when he was a kindergartner, and he's now a college grad).
What we have that Italy lacks: More like what we don't have. Centuries-old architecture that we hope to preserve.
Sorry, not meaning to lecture. Please don't take any of the above as callousness for the losses caused by this quake. It's intended as empathy.
posted by oheso at 4:26 AM on August 24, 2016 [2 favorites]
And yet, in the wake of the 2011 Tohoku Quake and Tsunami (9M), there were isolated towns and villages which had had their sole means of access disrupted. One highway, one rail line into town. When those are destroyed, how do you get in badly needed supplies and medical assistance?
Since the Great Hanshin Quake of 1995 (6.9), we've spent gajillions upgrading infrastructure and revising building methods. Because we learned that a quake can break water lines, hamstringing firefighting efforts. Right now, one of my favorite bike paths has been diverted to allow the construction of an immense emergency reservoir (hardly the first of its kind -- my son's favorite park was cut in half by a similar project when he was a kindergartner, and he's now a college grad).
What we have that Italy lacks: More like what we don't have. Centuries-old architecture that we hope to preserve.
Sorry, not meaning to lecture. Please don't take any of the above as callousness for the losses caused by this quake. It's intended as empathy.
posted by oheso at 4:26 AM on August 24, 2016 [2 favorites]
Chilean here, anything under 7 or so hardly makes the news. We way over-structure our buildings, spending proportionally 2 times more on structure than they do in other less shaky countries. I'm an architect, and whenever I travel to less earthquake prone parts of the world, I cringe when I see how flimsy everything looks.
Also, most of what could fall down in Chile already has. Not a lot of old buildings left.
posted by signal at 4:59 AM on August 24, 2016 [6 favorites]
Also, most of what could fall down in Chile already has. Not a lot of old buildings left.
posted by signal at 4:59 AM on August 24, 2016 [6 favorites]
most of what could fall down in Chile already has.
Exactly what I say about Japan.
posted by oheso at 5:10 AM on August 24, 2016 [2 favorites]
Exactly what I say about Japan.
posted by oheso at 5:10 AM on August 24, 2016 [2 favorites]
This is horrible. And for aid to be limited due to blocked roads is just horrible. Does Italy have infrastructure for earthquakes like this, or are they so infrequent that it hasn't come about in the way that it has in California?
I think part of it is that these areas are fairly remote and sparsely populated. The Apennines aren't massive by international mountain range standards, but they're plenty tall enough to make the roads windy and narrow. The towns are mostly tiny (around a thousand people) and perched on the side of the mountains. I spent some time last year in the mountainous part of the Marche, and even in a calm summer they were clearly having some trouble maintaining roads just because of the logistical problems inherent in the geography. I think it's almost inevitable that in a calamity like this, there would be extensive damage to the buildings and roads in these towns. Of course the Italian government needs to do more to protect these people, but it's much more difficult than it might look.
posted by Copronymus at 9:46 AM on August 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
I think part of it is that these areas are fairly remote and sparsely populated. The Apennines aren't massive by international mountain range standards, but they're plenty tall enough to make the roads windy and narrow. The towns are mostly tiny (around a thousand people) and perched on the side of the mountains. I spent some time last year in the mountainous part of the Marche, and even in a calm summer they were clearly having some trouble maintaining roads just because of the logistical problems inherent in the geography. I think it's almost inevitable that in a calamity like this, there would be extensive damage to the buildings and roads in these towns. Of course the Italian government needs to do more to protect these people, but it's much more difficult than it might look.
posted by Copronymus at 9:46 AM on August 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
It's up to 120 victims; a lot of people were in these towns for their summer holiday. So sad. Some historical seismic context for this area (from the Guardian liveblog):
In 1703, three very powerful quakes, all above magnitude six, hit the central Apennine region encompassing Norcia in less than three weeks, killing an estimated 10,000 people.
In January 1915, a 6.7-magnitude quake near Avezzano, around 70 km to the south-west of Wednesday’s event, killed about 32,000 people.
In September 1997, a 6.0-magnitude quake 50km to the north-west killed 11 people and destroyed more than 80,000 homes in the Marche and Umbria regions, according to the USGS website.
In April 2009, a 6.3-magnitude event 45km to the south-east, at the historic city of L’Aquila, killed around 300 people.
posted by progosk at 10:36 AM on August 24, 2016
In 1703, three very powerful quakes, all above magnitude six, hit the central Apennine region encompassing Norcia in less than three weeks, killing an estimated 10,000 people.
In January 1915, a 6.7-magnitude quake near Avezzano, around 70 km to the south-west of Wednesday’s event, killed about 32,000 people.
In September 1997, a 6.0-magnitude quake 50km to the north-west killed 11 people and destroyed more than 80,000 homes in the Marche and Umbria regions, according to the USGS website.
In April 2009, a 6.3-magnitude event 45km to the south-east, at the historic city of L’Aquila, killed around 300 people.
posted by progosk at 10:36 AM on August 24, 2016
Centuries-old architecture that we hope to preserve.
And therein lies the rub. In addition to the buildings that fudged code and those with crap construction from the 60's boom period highlighted by lydhre, these little villages high up on the side of a mountain arguably survive, maybe barely, on the tourism generated by their picturesque historical buildings.
I visited Amatrice about 5 years ago for the Amatriciana Festival. The cool mountain air was a relief from Rome's sweltering August heat, a jewel of a town with those orange-ish lamps lighting the narrow cobbles in the late summer night. €5 got you a plate heaped high with bucatini all'amatriciana, €9 got you the addition of a grilled sausage as secondo with some acidic wine in a plastic cup (unless it's a wine festival, it's a given the wine at a sagra is usually pretty lousy).
This afternoon Hubs called an ex-colleague originally from Amatrice to see if he was ok. He and his wife had finished up their holiday, leaving Amatrice last night because she had a doctor's appointment this morning here in Rome. Twenty minutes earlier on the news we had seen reports of a man and his son pulled too late from the rubble; it was the ex-colleague's cousins. After that, I unplugged for a bit and played with my kids.
posted by romakimmy at 12:13 PM on August 24, 2016 [4 favorites]
And therein lies the rub. In addition to the buildings that fudged code and those with crap construction from the 60's boom period highlighted by lydhre, these little villages high up on the side of a mountain arguably survive, maybe barely, on the tourism generated by their picturesque historical buildings.
I visited Amatrice about 5 years ago for the Amatriciana Festival. The cool mountain air was a relief from Rome's sweltering August heat, a jewel of a town with those orange-ish lamps lighting the narrow cobbles in the late summer night. €5 got you a plate heaped high with bucatini all'amatriciana, €9 got you the addition of a grilled sausage as secondo with some acidic wine in a plastic cup (unless it's a wine festival, it's a given the wine at a sagra is usually pretty lousy).
This afternoon Hubs called an ex-colleague originally from Amatrice to see if he was ok. He and his wife had finished up their holiday, leaving Amatrice last night because she had a doctor's appointment this morning here in Rome. Twenty minutes earlier on the news we had seen reports of a man and his son pulled too late from the rubble; it was the ex-colleague's cousins. After that, I unplugged for a bit and played with my kids.
posted by romakimmy at 12:13 PM on August 24, 2016 [4 favorites]
<Googles "david, ankles, earthquake">
Whew. </relief>
. for the dead. Yet it could have been much worse.
Whew. </relief>
. for the dead. Yet it could have been much worse.
In January 1915, a 6.7-magnitude quake near Avezzano, around 70 km to the south-west of Wednesday’s event, killed about 32,000 people. (quote from Grauniad)posted by Autumn Leaf at 5:28 PM on August 24, 2016
I hope the damage and loss don't turn out to be way more extensive than what has already been reported, which is no comfort at all to those who've lost loved ones, livelihoods and homes. I'm so sorry.
posted by seyirci at 5:00 AM on August 25, 2016
posted by seyirci at 5:00 AM on August 25, 2016
Victims are up to 241 currently, but the emergency squads are still digging.
At least 215 people (plus one dog) have been pulled from the rubble alive.
One current discussion is about the cost of seismic reconstruction vs. preventive seismic retro-fitting: reconstruction after earthquakes has cost Italy somewhere between 100 and 200 billion Euros in the last fourty years (since anti-seismic building rules were introduced); estimates for seismic retrofitting of the Italy's entire architectural heritage run to about 100 billiion Euros. So really the choice is: either foot this bill ahead of the next quakes so as to avoid further casualties, or just wait to pay the same amount, but with more victims on the conscience.
There were a disproportionate number of casualties in this quake, with respect to the pretty scarce residential population of the little towns, because there were a lot of tourists and visitors there for the summer. Conversely, had the quake hit once the holidays were over and not during the night, there would likely have been even more victims, due to the vast majority of public structures (offices, schools) notoriously not being up to anti-seismic standards. What's even more worrying, even when buildings are certified - as is the case with the elementary&middle school in Amatrice, which had been reopened in 2012 after anti-seismic restoration following the L'Aquila quake - that's still no guarantee: the other night the school collapsed.
posted by progosk at 7:18 AM on August 25, 2016
At least 215 people (plus one dog) have been pulled from the rubble alive.
One current discussion is about the cost of seismic reconstruction vs. preventive seismic retro-fitting: reconstruction after earthquakes has cost Italy somewhere between 100 and 200 billion Euros in the last fourty years (since anti-seismic building rules were introduced); estimates for seismic retrofitting of the Italy's entire architectural heritage run to about 100 billiion Euros. So really the choice is: either foot this bill ahead of the next quakes so as to avoid further casualties, or just wait to pay the same amount, but with more victims on the conscience.
There were a disproportionate number of casualties in this quake, with respect to the pretty scarce residential population of the little towns, because there were a lot of tourists and visitors there for the summer. Conversely, had the quake hit once the holidays were over and not during the night, there would likely have been even more victims, due to the vast majority of public structures (offices, schools) notoriously not being up to anti-seismic standards. What's even more worrying, even when buildings are certified - as is the case with the elementary&middle school in Amatrice, which had been reopened in 2012 after anti-seismic restoration following the L'Aquila quake - that's still no guarantee: the other night the school collapsed.
posted by progosk at 7:18 AM on August 25, 2016
« Older Alexander Polli, brought down. | “How am I the bad guy in that situation?” she... Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by Hermione Granger at 12:12 AM on August 24, 2016