REBUILDING AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE…
The 6.2 earthquake that struck Lazio and Marche on the 24th August 2016, has had a devastating effect , entire towns destroyed, people’s lives will never be the same, having lost their home and many their loved ones, they find themselves with no work too, or a business to re-build, in many instances from scratch. Many local businesses have lost valid workers, many of these businesses are family run, and they have lost a not only a valid worker, but dear family member. It is difficult to grasp the desperation of this area just from the horrific scenes we have all seen on our television screens, the hideous images of piles of masonry where once people lived and worked for most of us will end there, even if for many they will forever remain in the memory. For these people, many living in tents provided by the Italian state, they have to start working, even if taxes and domestic bills are suspended, they all need to earn a living, the Italian state does not provide adequate subsidiaries for the earthquake victims, whether they be employed or business owners, currently they are providing a maximum of €600 per family for rental of alternative accommodation, even if their workplace has been destroyed or severely damaged, leaving them effectively unemployed.
The re-building of these towns, once it gets past the Italian and EU bureaucracy, will be a long and slow process, where stringent anti seismic measures for any building work will be put in place, but even these measures cannot guarantee complete safety, it is more a case of damage limitation, which the Italian state will have to foot the bill on its own, the EU will only provide limited economic help for post earthquake damage, it is not interested in damage prevention. The mafia rears its selfish head as always in these circumstances, with corrupt officials all too happy to guide contracts towards firms that are paying friends. Even the financial Police, the feared Guardia di Finanza are suspected of involvement in corrupt building contracts, guaranteeing for a price that certain firms will never be audited, Recently a Colonel of the GdF was arrested for taking €30,000 a month from a large building firm to guarantee their fiscal invisibility.
The re-building of Aquila has been riddled with corruption and mafia, most contracts going to a handful of mafia friendly or owned firms, willing officials being corrupted to guide the contracts home. But there is a big question mark over the standard of these works, the school at Amatrice which partially collapsed in this earthquake was recently restored to bring it up to current anti seismic regulations, the mayor who has been applauded for his involvement in the tragedy of Amatrice, is now coming under fire for what seems like an inadequate restoration approved by him and his administration. Many a new building is under scrutiny by the investigative squads, questions over the quality of cement and the calibre of the steel re-enforcements being raised, in one case a plastic netting was used in place of a steel netting for re-enforcing exterior render, resulting in falling render and weakened masonry which in some cases destroyed structures.
The Italian state has set the wheels in motion promising transparency and to learn from past mistakes, official investigations have been opened by the Procura di Ascoli Piceno regarding the collapse of buildings in Arquata del Tronto and Pescara del Tronto, and by the Procura di Rieti for the collapse of above all the school and hospital in Amatrice. What will come out of these lengthy investigations if past history is to be emulated, is a scandal involving local politicians and local building firms, which will be forgotten about within a few months, that Italianate shrug of shoulders absolving all.
The decision to rebuild, “as it was, where it was”, is dubious, obviously more stringent seismic regulations will be in place , and that in itself will limit damage, as has been seen in Norcia where less damage was suffered in comparison to previous events, nevertheless, many buildings in Norcia and outlaying areas, built recently and not, respecting current seismic regulations have been declared inaccessible due to damage, the general consensus of opinion being, the building didn’t collapse, but it is now weakened so will need to be demolished and re-built. Many prominent engineers and volcanologists believe it would folly to re-build in what is one of the most active earthquake zones in the world, it is only a question of time before the next earthquake hits the area, as history has shown throughout the ages.
From the 10,000 dead in the same area in 1703, to the 2009 Aquila earthquake, over 300 dead, the Appenino history is riddled with earthquakes and re-building, from the far south to as far north as Friuli, disastrous earthquakes are a regular feature, the arguments rage about the loss of cultural heritage, but are so many lives less important than stone built buildings and works of art hitherto unseen by the world? Technology exists where damage from earthquakes can be limited far more , the relatively moderate size earthquakes experienced in Italy, in other seismic areas such as Japan, would not be causing so much loss of life and property, under present building conditions, had a 7.5 Richter scale struck, then we would be looking at thousands of dead, and a much vaster area devastated. Damage from the recent earthquake has been registered as far as 50km from the epicentre, considering the size of the earthquake it is indicative of the condition of many historic and traditional buildings that still exist throughout the area.
The Italian state is under the microscope for its handling of the building contracts in the aftermath of the Aquila earthquake, the mafia associated firms having secured the majority of the building works, the biggest building site in Europe is owned and run by corrupt politicians, both local and national, and their friendly building firms. Arrests do happen, but files also get lost and forgotten, and after 5 years in Italy the law requires that it “falls into prescription”, whereas you can no longer be tried. It remains to be seen if the State has the strength and more importantly the will to avoid going down the same well worn paths of the past. Re-housing the victims is an obligation that the state can no longer shirk as it has tried to do in the past, there are still people living in temporary housing from earthquakes in the early 1980’s, whether it is responsible to house people in a disaster zone, where it is only a question of time before the next instalment of the ongoing seismic evolution, is a question probably more important than the corruption which will inevitably steal into the proceedings, many are starting to see it as sheer folly, but it is doubtful that either the State or the people will seriously consider the alternative, habits die hard, and the words “Patrimonio culturale” are weighty in such a fiercely traditional land, weightier probably than 295 deaths.
BESPOKE ITALIAN 