Earthquake in Italy, Rome

A deadly earthquake hits Italy, Rome on 6 April 2009. The quake initially measured 6.3 on the Richter scale at 3:30 am local time. The official strength is still unsettled as it was earlier described as 6.7. Cars alarms began to buzz. Electricity, telephone and gas lines are damaged due to the aftershocks.

Damage reports will be slow coming in but the earthquake is already described as ’significant’ with high damage to the old buildings in the area. It is still before 5:00 am local time, dark and cold.

Scores of people were killed and tens of thousands left homeless in central Italy today after a powerful earthquake shook a mountain region, severely damaging a historic city and leaving hundreds feared trapped in rubble.

At least 17 people are dead including four small children, and dozens are missing or unaccounted for. Entire building have collapsed while cracks and caved roofs are visible.

Where plate boundaries occur within continental lithosphere, deformation is spread out over a much larger area than the plate boundary itself. In the case of the San Andreas fault continental transform, many earthquakes occur away from the plate boundary and are related to strains developed within the broader zone of deformation caused by major irregularities in the fault trace. The Northridge earthquake was associated with movement on a blind thrust within such a zone.

Berlusconi declared a state of emergency, calling off a scheduled trip to Russia to co-ordinate the government's response. "I want to say something important: no one will be abandoned to their fate," he told reporters.

The government decided to provide relief funds for the people who are homeless and injured.

In order to minimize damage from such events, I feel that the government should build less high rise buildings and a shelter where people can escape to during natural disasters, such as a bomb shelter.

Biblography

http://www.rightpundits.com/?p=3663

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/apr/06/italy-earthquake-laquila

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthquake

http://www.andhranews.net/Features/Events/April-2009-Central-Italy-Earthquake.asp

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