As the earthquakes in Italy continue, the Italian State finds itself with a larger reconstruction budget, more than ever after the earthquakes of the 30th October 2016 and the latest events of January 18th caused further destruction, not only to already severely damaged areas but also to towns and villages that had previously been relatively unscathed. The area of the Sibillini Mountains now presents a scene reminiscent of a war zone, vast areas and many many villages have been completely abandoned, with the buildings slowly disintegrating with every further quake.
Campotosto after the most recent earthquakes in January 2017
The residents of those villages, some 30,000 people, have been temporarily re-housed for the winter months in hotels along the Adriatic coast of both Marche and Abruzzo, for many who are in their later years it is an enormous upheaval. With the most recent quakes in January, striking during one of the biggest snowfalls in living memory, it has highlighted not only the limitations of the Regions capacity to cope with the emergency along with the geographical restrictions hampering any rescue attempts,( being a mountainous area many roads are impassable with bad winter weather), but also the very real theory that a series of tectonic faults have been activated, and consequentially the seismic activity is far from over. This all leaves the region struggling to keep up with the tens of thousands of requests for anything from minor repairs to complete rebuilding, and with a total of nearly 40,000 people living in temporary accommodation throughout Central Italy, it is swiftly becoming a nightmare scenario destined to worsen with each and every seismic event.
Acquasanta Terme- rescue efforts were hampered by the snow
The residents are now protesting fervently via social media platforms and television, in the five months since the original quakes in August, very few of the temporary wooden and pre-fabricated houses have been delivered, despite many firms claiming that they can deliver and construct up to 10 per week, the State seems once more to be incapable of wading through its own bureaucracy, with building regulations, environmental regulations and local council restrictions blocking the placement of what are essentially emergency temporary structures. The loss of a large portion of the mountain economy will have a long lasting effect on a region that is already struggling with the lengthy economic crisis that continues to plague Italy, many businesses have been destroyed, and many areas are simply no longer destinations that can attract tourists, through both lack of receptive structures such as hotels and Agriturismos, the fear factor will also prevent those who remember from visiting, but most tragically because many towns that helped attract tourists, simply no longer exist. The authorities are inspecting dams and other so called public structures, but with aftershocks continuing the inspections are repeated numerous times, one such dam built in the 1930’s before present day technology, sits directly on a fault line, above it lies the picturesque Lago di Campotosto, one of the biggest man made reservoirs in Europe, but should the dam give way the disaster would be beyond anyone’s worst nightmares. Amidst conspiracy theories regarding the nuclear astrophysics experimental centre far beneath Gran Sasso- the LNGS, and the CERN in Switzerland, the region seems destined to be not only the centre of Italy, but at the centre of many hypothetical and real scandals to come.
Lago di Campotosto – one of Europe’s biggest man-made reservoirs
The exact process for reconstruction is complicated, and many are unsure it will ever happen, despite Diego della Valle of Tod’s shoes fame proclaiming that he will be opening a new factory in the area within a year, a project which would help kick start the area providing jobs and much needed prospects, but for the individual who has lost his home the process is still daunting and fraught with obstacles and eventual uncertainty, both economical and seismic.
Seismic events August 2016-January 2017. The fault line under Campotosto.
Most damaged buildings have been inspected by the relevant authorities and assigned a damage category which ranges from F (complete destruction) to A (minor damage), for all repairs and rebuilding the Italian State has claimed it will foot the bill, but the winter and the government have brought the process to a standstill, the Regions of Marche, Abruzzo, Lazio and Umbria are waiting on the government to release funds, the government in turn was waiting on the EU, but the EU has generously refused to help foot the bill for reconstruction, (obviously funds are needed in NON EU countries waiting to join the greatest bureaucratic show on earth, in order to bring them up to the rest of the EU’s high standards of social welfare). So now the victims of the earthquakes have no choice but to wait, for both the reconstruction to start and for temporary housing to be delivered, not to mention for the earthquakes to stop. But the odyssey does not end there, that would be far too simple for Italy, the government has kindly agreed to pay a sort of unemployment allowance for all those who were working in the area and residents in the area, (for those who are unaware, unemployment benefits or work seekers allowances do not exist as they do in other parts of the world, a very small minority are entitled, but this is an discussion for another day). Typically, there is a glitch even with this generous offer from the government, as any employer who had a legal business headquarters outside of the earthquake zone, as many do, does not qualify for government help at this time, therefore its workers cannot claim the allowance, it is a typical complication in Italy, but the relative offices and politicians have declared they are working on a solution, hopefully they really are working, however, in the meantime it leaves thousands with no home, no money to rent one and no prospects other than to hear the endless excuses from politicians who seem interested only in a bizarre and perverse game of blame laying. Many are starting to ask the question as to whether the hotels along the Adriatic coast currently occupied by the “sfollati”, the displaced, will be available for the summer season which is so important to the local economy, in the meantime the arguments rage on as to why the local mayors and councils are not given more powers in emergencies such as these, rather than having to pass everything through central government which seems to be completely inept, and whether funds will really be available, as it seems that funds collected via telephone lines and television programs not to mention internationally through banks, have not been assigned to any of the Regions or entities in need, the more cynical are already accusing unknown persons or entities of having stolen the funds.
The area has lost some of its jewels, Amatrice, Norcia, Arquata del Tronto, are the best known outside the area, and the damage in all of them is immeasurable, but also many small unknown villages have been razed to the ground, the local economy is in tatters, tourism disappeared and inestimable works of art have been buried under the rubble of collapsed churches and State owned buildings and private houses. The local farmers are struggling with lack of communications to the higher mountain pastures where the animals are being forced the pass the winter, roads and tracks having been interrupted by landslides caused by the earthquakes along with the hardest winter in years and much livestock lost through building collapses, many risk losing their living, and are struggling on with little or no help from central government or local Provincia. Local produce has been hit hard, with cheeses and other milk products along with cured meats not being produced, many small family run businesses no longer exist, premises have been destroyed, and in many cases lives have been lost.
Norcia in Umbria, as it is now and before the October 2016 earthquakes.
The enormous loss suffered, to anyone outside of the area may be difficult to grasp, but to help put it into theoretical context; an area roughly the size of the Cotswolds in the UK has been destroyed, not entirely but extensively, leaving the whole fabric of the area at risk. 40,000 homeless, many of whom have also lost their jobs, 5 months on and still no rebuilding other than some temporary council and school buildings, a colder than usual winter, (much of the area has been covered in over a metre of snow over the past 2 weeks), causing further deaths, and further building collapses, a government that gives no answers and seems incapable of pulling its head out of its own arse, and the earth that continues to shake. It seems impossible to imagine from the comfort of one’s home, in front of the fireplace with the dog snoozing at one’s feet, but the reality is that Italy is not so far away, and presumed by most to be a developed country in one of the world’s presumably most socially advanced continents, the same country that houses some 75% of the world’s most important art works, yet is already abandoning its own people amidst the ruins, feigning indignation at Europe’s lack of support but continuing to siphon money into its own coffers via EU contributions for the migrant and refugee crisis. It leaves many locals starting to genuinely believe that they should be claiming political asylum from their own State, as they are being abandoned and left to die by a political class that are too busy pointing and gesticulating at each other, a situation that needs some desperate and swift action, from both the Italian government and the EU, unfortunately two entities that are not known for reaching decisions either swiftly or in the best interests of the people. The uncertainty that fills ones soul after an earthquake, is exacerbated by the crippling ineptitude of the Italian and European authorities, both more interested in saving irresponsibly managed banks than saving the lives and livelihoods of its own people.
Castelluccio di Norcia, Umbria, Earthquakes 2016 damage.
BESPOKE ITALIAN 
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