Case Study: L'Aquila
Geography: Edexcel IGCSE, topic 1.4.4
Earthquakes in High Income Countries - L'Aquila, Italy
On the 6th of April 2009, there was an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 in a town called L'Aquila in the Abruzzi region in Italy.
Primary effects - deaths and damage
- 308 people died and about 1,600 people were injured.
- More than 65,000 became homeless.
- The water supply into the Paganica (a town) was damaged, cutting them off from vital water supplies.
Secondary effects - aftershocks and infrastructure
- There were aftershocks that caused further damage after the initial earthquake.
- All telecommunications (phone) and electricity infrastructure was up and running in less than 24 hours.
Immediate responses - shelter and support
- Homeless people were given shelter, food, drinks, and medical attention. They also got free mobiles to communicate with their families.
- The army, medical personnel, and the fire department all helped clear the wreckage.
- The immediate response was helped by the fact that L'Aquila is closer than 100km to Rome and Italy is a relatively rich country.
Long-term responses - rebuilding
- The city centre was rebuilt to try to rehouse the 65,000 people who had become homeless.
- The inability of modern buildings to cope with earthquakes was investigated.
- 7 people were tried for manslaughter for not giving strong enough warnings about the earthquake.
Test yourself on Case Study: L'Aquila
What were the primary effects of the L'Aquila earthquake in April, 2009?
Which of the following was NOT a long-term response to the L'Aquila earthquake?
Which of these was a secondary effect of the L'Aquila earthquake?