41 years after the Irpinia earthquake

Hello. Today (November 23, 2021) is the day when Italy is in sadness. Forty-one years ago, on this day in 1980, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck Irpinia, the old name for a region near Naples, killing 2,914 people. However, no tsunami has occurred in this earthquake.

“I saw Southern Italy die”

This word was said by Alberto Moravia after seeing the dire situation in the area. In fact, the problem faced by the affected areas was the delay in early rescue. The Protezione Civile was formed after the earthquake, but many lives were lost due to the delay in rescue.

The symbol of the tragedy was the collapse of the ceiling of the Balvano Mother Church in the Province of Potenza, where 66 people, mainly children and teens, were buried alive and the entire generation disappeared. Earthquakes were also felt intensely in Naples, and people rushed to the streets to spend the night (in an environment where they could feel at ease).
(Quote: https://www.lanazione.it/cronaca/terremoto-irpinia-1.7045414)

Shame of reconstruction (vergogne della ricostruzione)

To date, more than 5.92 trillion lira (equivalent to 26 billion euros) has been spent on the reconstruction of the disaster, which has caused total damage of over 8 trillion lira (source: representative of the Presidency of the Council). I am. (Source: Material of the Italian Senate) However, the reconstruction of the disaster area is not finished yet. The site I once saw said that the road construction would be completed by 2023 (the article has now been removed and is no longer accessible). The money collected in the reconstruction is never used in a “clean” way, and not much money is spent on the victims because of corruption and collusion with the mafia.

For the reconstruction of the heart

The exhibition of photographs taken by journalist Antoniota De Lillo will continue until 2022. There are more than 100 photos.
Details: https://napoli.repubblica.it/cronaca/2021/11/22/news/mann_de_luca-327399583/
https://artemagazine.it/2021/11/22/il-mann-di-napoli-ricorda-il-sisma-del-1980-attraverso-gli-scatti-di-antonietta-de-lillo/
“I’m still suffering from the smell of the deceased,” said Rossanna Repole, the mayor of the city of S. Angelo dei Lombardi.
Source: https://www.tv2000.it/tg2000/video/terremoto-irpinia-ex-sindaco-s-angelo-dei-lombardi-sentito-odore-di-morte-per-anni/
It is too short-circuited to conclude that the former is hope and the latter is despair, but there are gradual movements toward “reconstruction of the mind” even in the affected areas.
For more information on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), see this article. http://www.osservatoriosuldoposisma.com/campania-basilicata/memoria/campania-basilicata/le-conseguenze-post-traumatiche-da-stress-dopo-il-sisma-del-1980