Italian Earthquake

[butterflymum]

Seeing the pictures at:

this link

certainly puts a lot of threads into perspective and makes you think of how fortunate many of us are.

True. Horrible for people caught up in it.

My daughter is on a field trip in Sorrento until wednesday with the school.

I was utterly freaked out this morning.

Its really dreadful, sad day for Italians

Sorrento is a long way down. As am I.
The dreadful thing is that these people will probably end up living in caravans for years while the govt fannies around. There are still people living in tents/caravans from the earthquake in Assisi over a decade ago.

There are still some people living in caravans from the Naples earthquake in the 1980s. It is horrifying.

Yet there seems to be so little press on this...

I know Sorrento is a way off but it still churns my belly over.

Have the Italians asked for aid?

Our wonderful PM Berlusconi has said that all the money that is necessary will be available plus there is money from the catastrophe fund in the EU. But looking at how this has never happened with past disasters of this kind it is hard to imagine that it will be any different this time. Plus I have zero faith in Berlusconi to deliver! Has there not been much in the UK press /TV then? It's been wall to wall on Italian tv today.

My friend was affected by it
Fortunately she is fine and their house is ok.
They are now helping to take in soem people whose houses were damaged.

There is an article in the Times saying a scientist predicted it here.
He couldn't say when it was going to happen though - were they supposed to evacuate the entire region for several months? OTOH a lot of people have died, so maybe they should, I don't know.

My dp was saying that one of his work colleagues has a friend who is in the fire service and his daughter was a student in L'Aquila, living in the halls of residence that collapsed. After he read the report of the prediction he told her a week ago to return to Rome, which she did!

It was in our local news today, but only because the presenter is Italian and covered it on his Italian speaking part of the show...

It's so, so sad

I wonder why Berlusconi won't accept help from the likes of Britain/Red Cross - they cover things like this, don't they?

Last night one of the topdog Tv presenters pressganged on live Tv the president of one of the banks to rebuild a church, while a 50 yr old father stood there in clothes someone had lent him, telling of how his son's friends dug his body out of the rubble yesterday morning. And their priority is a church.

I think, actually, for once, Berlusca seems to be doing OK- at least on the looking serious and making soothing noises front. At least he's there and not somewhere else, jumping out from behind trees to make Angela Merkel jump.....

and at the church
Actually Bucharest, as much as it pains me to say it, I agree re Berlusca, he seems to be handling it ok so far.

meaning that it pains me to say Berlusca is behaving ok, not that it pains me to agree with you

I was in Istanbul when big earthquake hit in 1999 and 18,000 people died. That one also hit at 3 AM when everyone was in bed. This brings back memories

There is sadly no way to predict an earthquake yet. I don't know what that guy is on about re alignment with Venus etc.

Rescue teams will be finding survivors for several weeks. They pulled a baby out of the rubble almost a month after the earthquake in Turkey that time. Lucky that weather is not too hot or too cold so chances of survival are pretty good.

My thoughts are with victims and their families

I heard on radio 4 just now that Berlusconi has caused outrage by saying those affected should regard their experiences as a 'camping trip'. What an utter twat and bastard.