6.3 - CENTRAL ITALY - 260+ dead. 27,700 homeless

[lurkey]

Magnitude
6.3
Date-Time
Monday, April 06, 2009 at 01:32:42 UTC
Monday, April 06, 2009 at 03:32:42 AM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
42.423°N, 13.395°E
Depth
10 km (6.2 miles) set by location program
Region
CENTRAL ITALY
Distances
70 km (40 miles) W of Pescara, Italy
95 km (60 miles) NE of ROME, Italy
115 km (70 miles) SE of Perugia, Italy
135 km (85 miles) S of Ancona, Italy
Location Uncertainty
horizontal +/- 4.6 km (2.9 miles); depth fixed by location program
Parameters
NST= 66, Nph= 66, Dmin=7.7 km, Rmss=0.95 sec, Gp= 50°,
M-type=teleseismic moment magnitude (Mw), Version=7
Source
USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID
us2009fcaf


BreakingNews Officials confirm that buildings have collapsed in central Italy and people remain trapped; reports of casualties.

[JonathanBelles]

Interesting location. Hope everyone is ok.

[Aslkahuna]

Significant damage and fatalities have been reported in the town of L'Aquila.

Steve

[HURAKAN]

40 dead

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/07/world ... ref=europe

[cycloneye]

[HURAKAN]

At least 50 dead



http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/07/world ... ly.html?em

[HURAKAN]

At least 70 dead

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30061140?GT1=43001

[Ed Mahmoud]

An Italian scientist, Giampaolo Giuliani, predicted the earthquake which has killed at least 92 people in the Abruzzo region but he was reported to the police for scaremongering, it has emerged.

[somethingfunny]

An Italian scientist, Giampaolo Giuliani, predicted the earthquake which has killed at least 92 people in the Abruzzo region but he was reported to the police for scaremongering, it has emerged.

To be fair, he predicted that 3 weeks ago. To which I suggest: Californians, pitch your tents in the backyard, because the Big One is coming!

Someday.

[Ed Mahmoud]

An Italian scientist, Giampaolo Giuliani, predicted the earthquake which has killed at least 92 people in the Abruzzo region but he was reported to the police for scaremongering, it has emerged.

To be fair, he predicted that 3 weeks ago. To which I suggest: Californians, pitch your tents in the backyard, because the Big One is coming!

Someday.

Every twenty years or so we get a hurricane big enough to create serious damage, and even inland have us sweating in the dark for a week, but we get at least a day, usually two or three, of warning, and can prepare.

Give me coastal Texas over the tornado ravaged Oklahoma Plains or the West Coast earthquake country anytime.

[lurkey]

Italy Earthquake: 'More Than 150' Killed


Breaking News

6:54pm UK, Monday April 06, 2009

Nick Pisa in Rome
More than 150 people have been killed and 1,500 made homeless by a massive earthquake in central Italy, hospital sources have said.

Earthquake in central Italy

A firefighter searches through the rubble in L'Aquila

Authorities had previously provided a provisional toll of at least 100 deaths.

Rescuers are still searching for survivors as dozens of aftershocks continue to plague the area hampering their efforts.

TV footage showed rescuers racing away from the rubble of a ruined house as a tremor hit, sending masonry flying.

Gianfranco Fini, speaker of Italy's lower house of parliament, said entire towns had been "virtually destroyed" with 15,000 buildings off limits.

The epicentre was close to the city of L'Aquila in the centre of Italy, about 100 miles northeast of Rome.

The village of Onna, close to L'Aquila, was "wiped off the map" with no houses left standing, according to one emergency official.

In the fields outside, row after row of coffins were lined up and officials said at least 50 of the 400 inhabitants are dead.

The tremor struck at just after 3.30am local time and measured 6.3 on the Richter scale.

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi cancelled a visit to Moscow and immediately flew to the scene, calling the area a "disaster zone".

See more pictures of the earthquake scene.

He has declared a state of emergency for the central Abruzzo region where the quake struck.

After flying over the scene in a helicopter he said: "At the moment 4,000 rescuers are at work and concentrating on extracting people from the rubble."

He added that a camp with 2,000 tents, each capable of housing eight to 10 people, was currently being set up in L'Aquila for those who had lost their homes in the disaster.

Around 4,000 beds in hotels in the area have also been reserved for survivors.


A victim is stretchered through the town of L'Aquila

"The camp should be ready be tonight," he said. "The fundamental thing I want to say is that nobody will be left alone."

Guido Bertolaso, head of the Italian Civil Defence, said: "Many, many buildings have collapsed and there are people trapped inside.

"Emergency services are travelling to the scene and we are working on rescuing people who are trapped.

Earthquake Was Not Only Large But Fairly Shallow

"Thousands of people have been left homeless and we are providing emergency shelters such as tents for them."

He added: "This is the worst disaster to have hit Italy since the start of the millennium and I would appeal to people not to go to the area."

Emergency services were also focusing their attention on a university hall of residence in L'Aquila which had partially collapsed with students inside.


The area around L'Aquila has been the scene of intense earthquake activity since October.

There was another smaller tremor around midnight which measured 4.6 on the Richter scale.

Witness Tells Of Moment Quake Struck

L'Aquila is a picturesque medieval town and has been hit by severe tremors twice before, in 1461 and 1703. Both times the city was virtually destroyed.

An Italian scientist claims he predicted a major quake near the town weeks ago but was reported to authorities for spreading panic.

The aftermath

As rescue efforts continued tragic stories emerged, including one involving a two-year-old girl who was dug out of the ruins of her home at San Gregorio. Her mother's dead body was wrapped around her as a shield.

One firefighter said: "It was tragic to see. The girl has been injured and has been taken to hospital by helicopter but her mother sadly died - she shielded her from the debris."

In another case, a 20-year-old student was dug from the collapsed ruins of the university hall of residence after calling his sister who directed emergency services to where he was.

Officials said that, in total, 26 council districts had been hit by the earthquake in a radius of around 35 miles from L'Aquila.

An injured man on a stretcher

There was also minor damage reported as far afield as Rome and Naples.

Pope Benedict XVI said he was praying for the victims and officials launched urgent appeals for blood supplies.

Civil protection officials said at least 50,000 people had been left homeless as a result of the quake.

They stressed many would be temporarily homeless while engineers carry out structural checks on damaged buildings.

[lurkey]

BreakingNews A moderate 5.1 magnitude earthquake struck central Italy within the last 30 minutes, nearly 24 hours after a large quake killed scores.

http://kharita.rm.ingv.it/Gmaps/rec-big/en/index.htm


Magnitude
4.9
Date-Time
Monday, April 06, 2009 at 23:15:37 UTC
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 at 01:15:37 AM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
42.467°N, 13.392°E
Depth
2 km (1.2 miles) set by location program
Region
CENTRAL ITALY
Distances
70 km (40 miles) W of Pescara, Italy
100 km (60 miles) NE of ROME, Italy
110 km (70 miles) SE of Perugia, Italy
130 km (80 miles) S of Ancona, Italy
Location Uncertainty
Error estimate not available
Parameters
NST=118, Nph=118, Dmin=12.6 km, Rmss=0 sec, Gp= 25°,
M-type=body wave magnitude (Mb), Version=7
Source
Centre Sismologique Euro-Mediterranéen, Bruyères-le-Châtel, France
Event ID
us2009fcb2
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.

[HURAKAN]

Lowered to 4.9

[vbhoutex]

That seems like a huge drop. I don't know enough to ask questions, but the destruction I have seen makes me wonder if that is correct.

[HURAKAN]

That seems like a huge drop. I don't know enough to ask questions, but the destruction I have seen makes me wonder if that is correct.

The aftershock, initially rated 5.1, was lowered to 4.9, not the original quake.

[HURAKAN]

An aftershock: 5.6 a few hours ago



http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/rec ... l.php#maps

[HURAKAN]

Another aftershock: 4.6

[HURAKAN]

Two 98-year-olds survived quake

Two 98-year-old women are among survivors pulled from the rubble by rescuers in the aftermath of a major earthquake in central Italy.

One of the women, Ines D'Alessandro, told the Ansa news agency how she had survived another earthquake in 1915.

The second woman was found in the village of Tempera, near L'Aquila, some 30 hours after the earthquake struck.

Buried under the rubble in her bed, Maria D'Antuomo said she had passed the time crocheting as she waited for help.

Carried to safety by firemen early on Tuesday she reportedly ate some crackers and asked to comb her hair.

Ms D'Alessandro said that during Monday's earthquake her wardrobe had been knocked over at the foot of her bed as fragments of plaster began to rain down.

She was uninjured, though she said the quake reminded her of the one she survived aged almost four.

After the 1915 earthquake her family moved back into their house when it was pronounced safe, but it collapsed in 1918, killing her two younger sisters.

On Tuesday, she was quoted as saying that her heart bled for the victims of this week's earthquake.

"I've fought all my life," she said. "Now we need to have courage."

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/w ... 988423.stm

[vbhoutex]

That seems like a huge drop. I don't know enough to ask questions, but the destruction I have seen makes me wonder if that is correct.

It might help if I read everything first or maybe just pay attention.

[HURAKAN]

260 dead, 27,700 homeless



http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/art ... gD97E9A3O0