Italian Salvationists offer assistance in wake of L'Aquila earthquake

It was 3.23 am on 6 April when a severe earthquake struck the city of L’Aquila, Italy, and nearby communities 120 kilometres from Rome. It took only a few minutes before the National Civil Guard were on hand to coordinate the rescue activities and the aftershocks could still be felt as people began digging the injured from the rubble of the destroyed buildings.

The Salvation Army was among the first to offer support to the National Civil Guard. Within a few days, when the Civil Guard would allow, Salvation Army personnel travelled to the affected area. They found organised relief work happening amid the devastation. In some more isolated communities, Onna for example, people preferred to remain with their animals and farms even though the buildings were destroyed, than move to the larger towns. In some cases this meant that they did not receive relief supplies and other support.

Major Massimo Tursi (Italy Command’s Emergency Coordinator) says: ‘There is work to be done and we will do it. We can offer people initial support of tents and basic relief supplies now and we will remain to see how we can contribute to longer-term solutions in coordination with the government and other agencies.’