The Abruzzo earthquake

At 3.32 a.m. on 6 April 2009, after an earthquake sequence lasting four months, a strong earthquake of magnitude 6.3 hits the territory of L'Aquila and Abruzzo. The earthquake caused 309 victims and more than 1500 injured, in particular in L'Aquila and Onna. L'Aquila, located at the epicentre of the earthquake, is seriously damaged in its residential, artistic and cultural heritage. It is the first time, after the seismic event in Calabria and Messina in 1908, that a city is so badly hit by an earthquake.

The earthquake continued, and on April 7 and 9 affecting an area of over 30 kilometers along the valley of the Aterno River. Within a month from the main shock, the national seismometric network, managed by the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, records and localizes about 5 thousand shocks, of which 150 exceed magnitude 3.

The extent of damage is determined partially by the magnitude of the earthquake and the presence in some cases of geological conditions that increased the movement of the ground. Most of the damage is due to the characteristics of the buildings, most of which are old and vulnerable.

After the earthquake of April 6, one of the objectives is to guarantee the affected population adequate and timely accommodation while waiting to restore or rebuild their homes. This objective has provided different solutions for the inhabitants of the seismic "crater": the housing of the CASE Project, the MAP - Temporary Housing Modules, subsidized rents, accommodation in hotels and facilities provided by the State and the possibility to access the CAS - Contribution for Self-Settlement.

Photo: Teams engaged in search and rescue activities in Villa Sant'Angelo (L'Aquila) following the earthquake of April 6, 2009 / Marcello Scopelliti