Earthquake
Several towns in Italy were affected by an earthquake that happened in August 2019. The earthquake has a magnitude of 6.6, making it one of the strongest ones to affect the region. BBC reports confirmed that approximately 300 people died. Furthermore, the most affected town was Norcia, which experienced a loss of some of the ancient buildings. The tremors were intense to an extent they were experienced throughout the town of Rome and the surrounding metropolitan areas (BBC News, 2016).
Consequently, the report by BBC also confirms that the tremor was experienced in some regions of Venice. The events were sad and devastating since Italy experienced three other similar tremors in a span of one week. A survey geological survey carried out in a US research facility confirmed the epicenter of the event to be Perugia close to Norcia. Norcia is considered to be the birth town of St. Benedict. Although the town had a positive attitude, images from the event confirmed that the damage to be severe.
The 24 August earthquake affected a significant number of individuals. Reports show that 298 people died, 386 winded up in the hospital with injuries, whereas a total of 5000 individuals were left homeless. Furthermore, the historical town of Italy suffered a great loss; some of the prehistoric sites were destroyed. An analysis of 260 motions on the maps records shows that the damages may have extended to over 305 localities in Italy. Equally important, the analysis proved that damage level was high, with over 60% of the affected buildings turning up either wholly collapsed or partially damaged (Fiorentino at al., 2018). The high levels of destruction are caused by the poor and vulnerable state of most masonry buildings. Perhaps, it is because the setups were ancient and often considered a source of rich history. Further analysis shows that most of the damaged walls and affected individuals lived in buildings with poor wall connections.
From the beginning of the seismic sequences, several geological companies set out to establish the impact of the event. Notably, the National Seismic Network established the existence of around 5000 events, which resulted in coseismic effects. The EMERGO group was activated immediately after the event and investigated some of the impacts of the event on the Norcia area and the surrounding regions (EMERGO Working Group, 2016). Moreover, to understand the impact of an earthquake on physical features, it is vital to analyze primary and secondary effects. The primary effects are direct impacts linked to the earthquake raptures such as fracturing and faulting.
In contrast, the secondary effects are linked to the shaking caused by the earthquake, such as rock avalanches, landslides, liquefaction, and incisions. The analysis is only achievable through the help of several teams that start from the source to the surrounding areas. Hence, the teams focused on active faults from the Castellucio di Norcia region to the Ortolano locality. The study was useful in generated over 2400 data from observation. Thus, the geological companies were vital in the analysis process.
Generally, the cosmic effects of the event were recorded on various levels. The magnitude of the earthquake was 6.2, and it struck the central region of Italy. Correspondingly, a range of fractures was observed along the mountain flanks, roads, and agricultural fields. They were also accompanied by visible rock avalanches and landslides in different regions of Italy. For instance, in Capodacqua, 3km from Pescara, several small dimensional landslides were visible. A creek and fluvial incisions accompanied the landslides. In the same fashion, areas that had previously experienced the cosmic effects also exhibited some reactivated coseismic impacts on their surfaces (EMERGO Working Group, 2016). An analysis of the Mt. Gorzano showed evidence of coseismic fractures in the northern region of the mountain. The fractures and incisions were characterized by the lack of geometric patterns and apparent surface fractures. Besides, the surveys are useful in analyzing the width of deformation zones and the trends. From the analysis, the width of the deformation zone was 3 to 5 meters, whereas the trend was up to 160 degrees. Therefore, the impact of the earthquake had multiple effects on the physical landscape on different levels.
On the other hand, a macroseismic survey also plays a central role in determining the impact of the event. The macroseismic scale is an adaptation of the Italian macroseismic database. Furthermore, the role of the scale is analyzing the destruction levels from the most severe to less severe levels. The survey was done by the QUEST-INGV team (Galli et al., 2016). They were able to establish a variation in the locally alongside the presence of some pre-existing crumbling and weakness in building construction. From the analysis, the old masonry structures were the most affected, with the modern buildings experiencing less destruction. The highest degree of the destruction was NNE-SSE around Mt. Laga and Mt. Vettore. In the same fashion, the lighter impact was experienced in the northwestern region, whereas the more substantial impact was experienced in the Southern area. Perhaps, the macroseismic survey was complementing findings generated by the coseismic studies.
After the earthquake, the Italian government took necessary measures to control the situation. The government declared a state of emergency with mobile networking working with stakeholders to restore mobile services. Markedly, the disaster left many homeless and a couple of people dead. However, the disaster was not avoidable since it was caused by shallow faulting on the Central Apennines faults. The Apennines are mountainous regions that range from the Taranto Gulf in southern Italy to Po Basin in northern Italy. Hence, the geological complexity of the event made the earthquake unavoidable.
On the other hand, the affected population was not prepared for the disaster. First, most of the affected areas were made of old masonry structures. The high levels of destruction are caused by the poor and vulnerable state of most masonry buildings. Besides, the setups were ancient and often considered a source of rich history. Secondly, since the Apennine region had experienced a range of multiple disasters before the government had to improve the infrastructure. However, the fact that they had done little to improve infrastructure proves their unpreparedness. Perhaps, the Italian government should ensure that they effectively improve their building structures to avoid future reoccurrences.
Historically, the earthquake is rated as the most devastating earthquake to happen in Italy. In 1639, Italy experienced the first seismic event that hit the Amatrice region, causing damage estimated to be 6MCS. A historical analysis of the different earthquakes experienced in Italy during the 17th century shows that they ranged from 8 to 9MCS (Galli et al., 2016). The seismic effects were felt in other neighboring regions but not in Rome. Notably, they were mainly focused on the Amatrice Basin with minimal or no effect on the northern region. In contrast, the 2016 earthquake affected Rome and a more significant part of the northern and southern regions. Thus, it is considered to be one of the most destructive earthquakes in Italy.
Several emergency communication teams were deployed in the area to salvage the situation. The first step in the rescue mission was improving the communication system. Emergency equipment and protocols were employed when improving the data and mobile networks. Consequently, communication is vital in improving any rescue mission after a disaster. The interventions are inclusive of creating more reliable Wi-Fi connections and mobile signals. TIM generated 2G to LTE mobile data and deployed an improved engineering team to the area (GSMA, 2016). The communication team also created new emergency lines of communication to the Rieti police headquarters. Besides, the main aim of improving communication was fastening the rescue process.
Fundraising programs are also vital in the rescue process. The government worked alongside several mobile networks to create a short code useful in generating funds for the affected people. Markedly an activation of the code provided the government with enough funds to help the displaced, injured, and rescue team in general. Moreover, the program was run up to 8 October for the first phase. The second phase of the program was useful in raising over 4.9 million pounds, which helped in the school reconstruction. Markedly, the second phase ended in December, and the third phase was activated. Finally, the third phase helped raise over 500,000 pounds for the victims. Fundraising helped the victims build new homes and start anew.
Generally, the earthquake had a great impact on history and Italy as a country. First, it led to the creation of new earthquake control protocols in both Italy and other countries. Secondly, it helped to generate a spirit of selflessness, unity, and love globally. People all over the world mourned the death of the victims through different monuments and events. In the same fashion, mobile networks like Vodafone Italy, Fastweb, and TIM participated in the fundraising event (GSMA, 2016). Every citizen could donate up to 2 pounds to the code number 45500. Thirdly, although the recovery efforts were practical, the event initiated the creation of new disaster control and recovery method. Therefore, the event had a negative and positive impact on Italy and other countries at large.
In conclusion, the August 2016 earthquake is considered to be one of the most destructive earthquakes in Italy. The earthquake had a magnitude of 6.2 and originated from the Apennines regions. Notably, Italy has experienced a series of other earthquakes before, and it has done little to safeguard the infrastructure. However, the rescue protocols employed are useful in improving the survival rate of victims. The 2016 earthquake is also one of the reasons why some of the Rome structures were reconstructed. Hence, although the earthquake was destructive, it had some benefits to Italy and the world at large.
References
Map showing the epicenter of the earthquakes
Map showing the intensity of the earthquake ((Fiorentino et al., 2018)
USGS map showing the intensity of the shockwave (Brgm, 2016)
BBC News (2016). Italy quake: Norcia tremor destroys ancient buildings. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-37814975
Brgm (2016). The 24 August 2016 earthquake in central Italy. Retrieved from https://www.brgm.eu/news-media/24-august-2016-earthquake-central-italy
EMERGEO Working Group (2016). The 24 August 2016 Amatrice earthquake: coseismic effects. Tech. Rep.
Fiorentino, G., Forte, A., Pagano, E., Sabetta, F., Baggio, C., Lavorato, D., … & Santini, S. (2018). Damage patterns in the town of Amatrice after 24 August 2016 Central Italy earthquakes. Bulletin of earthquake engineering, 16(3), 1399-1423.
Galli, P., Peronace, E., Bramerini, F., Castenetto, S., Naso, G., Cassone, F., & Pallone, F. (2016). The MCS intensity distribution of the devastating 24 August 2016 earthquake in central Italy (MW 6.2). Annals of Geophysics, 59.
GSMA (2016). Italy Earthquake Response and Recovery A Disaster Response Case Study. Retrieved from https://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Italy-Earthquake-Response-and-Recovery-A-Case-Study.pdf