Today I mourn the loss of life caused by the devastating earthquake in L'Aquila in the Abruzzi region of Italy. My heart broke for those who were lost, dead, or missing, and even more so for the survivors who have lost heir homes and possessions.
My mother's family came from Villa San Leonardo near Ortona in the province of Chieti. L'aquila is only a short drive from there and I remember passing through the small city on the way to Rome. At the time, I marvelled at the ancient archicture and quaintness. I vowed to visit there one day. Sadly, I never got the chance.
The walled city dates back to the 13th century. In addition to its university, it has several churches built in the Renaissance and a castle. The town's economy was built on the trade of wool and silk and was the home of one of Europe's first printing presses.
Now, of its 70,000 inhabitants, over 200 are dead and almost two thousand injured with many more still missing.
It's hard to imagine that in 30 seconds, so much life can be wiped out with many medieval structures damaged or turned into complete rubble. The 6.3 magnitude shake destroyed numerous buildings and damaged many others including 4 of the churches.
But my faith in Italy and Italians is strong. They are experts at architecture and education and medicine. The Italian government has many programs and iniatiatives to help restore or preserve its architecture and history. They are no strangers to earthquake and know what to do.
L'Aquila is in my thoughts and prayers. My prayers go out to all affected.
2 comments:
Mirella:
I, too, live in "earthquake country", and I've lived through three serious earthquakes in my lifetime(if you want to know where,it's Seattle, Washington, which is practically on a fault line). To add to the excitement, there are also five more or less active volcanoes around here. So although we have never had the kind of destruction -- yet -- that L'Aquila has recently experienced, I can well imagine what the inhabitants of the once-beautiful town are going through. I hope that some day, you'll be able to go there and see that it's been rebuilt, and that the inhabitants are building their lives again. Given that Italy is located in an area of grinding fault lines(very much like the west coat of the US), I have a feeling that in one sense, L'Aquila is "used" to earthquakes. It has probably rebuilt any number of times in its history. Of course,this doesnt diminish the horror of the most recent one, and my heart is with the people of L'Aquila,too.
Anne G
Hi Anne,
I love Seattle. It's so beautiful with lots to see and do. I knew Seattle was on the San Andreas faultline, but thought it wasn't as dangerous as San Francisco. I live just east of the Canadian Rockies and we are not troubled by any type of national disasters. I think it's our altitude that keeps us safe.
Having said that, I still worry about those in California, Washington, and B.C. who are on the S.A. faultline. It's such a risk to live those states/provinces. I hope disaster never strikes.
Thanks so much for commenting.
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