WHEN THE EARTH QUAKES …

… we are terribly scared, of course. It often happens, unfortunately, where we live, that is, in the centre of Italy. But what is an earthquake?

An earthquake is the percepitible shaking of the surface of the Earth, resulting from the sudden release of energy in the Earth’s crust that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can be quite violent, they can throw people to the ground and destroy entire cities.

There have been several strong earthquakes in the last years in Italy. On April 6 2009, a magnitude 6.3 eartquake shook L’Aquila  killing more than 300 people and injuring 1,500 others. It damaged many buildings and landmarks, such as the medieval church in the picture (left). It hasn’t been completely rebuilt yet. 

BCC World News discussed the event soon after. Watch this video 

In memory of  the victims many Italian singers came together to sing a song and raise money for charity. The proceeds from the sale were used for the reconstruction of the Theatre and Music  Academy of L’Aquila 

This summer there was another strong earthquake in Italy, precisely, in Amatrice, the town in the centre of Italy famous for the Amatriciana. sauce, a typical Italian recipe.

The old town of Amatrice was completely destroyed by the earthquake, including public buildings such as the primary school. It caused 300 victims.

Pope Francesco visits Amatrice  - 4 October 2016

There has been fund-raising activity in Italy since August and it will last until the end of October: “Un aiuto subito-terremoto centro Italia 6.0”.

Here  in  our town, Subiaco, we organized a charity dinner for this cause,  thanks to which we collected 5, 800 euros.  It was a great event and we were really proud to take part in it. 

Have you ever experienced an earthquake or any other shocking natural event?  Were you scared? How did you cope with your fear? Tell us in the comments below.

By Camilla & Francesca