Italians - Please check in!!!

Randy V

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Paolo and others - I hope and pray that you folks are alright!!!

The cities in ruin are simply beyond comprehension.... :(

Paolo - Milano looks to be a long way out from the epicenter but people travel...
 
Thank U Randy..it is a very hard moment down here in such hours..:(
Nearly 200 loss, all people taken in the middle of the night (3.00 am) by a very powerful and ugly hearthquake.
The city destroyed is l'Aquila, a wonderful medieval city up in muntains (our Appennino chain, crossing Italy from North to south).
In those hours we also are watching an ugly show done by media,always searching for the tragedy in tragedy (the worst I heard yesterday...an anchorman asking for the exact number loss...but waiting the commercial before..really ugly. Sometimes jurnalist can be even more shitmans than our politics.. :( ).

And when God hates us..he really does it, cause yesterday people down there had a too hot day (30 degrees..so rare event for a muntain city,in April...) and then..BIG rain and freeze at night.

All this is too sad:(..many places I saw (and believe me they were WONDERFUL places) are completely gone.

Thank u for all your kind words guys..:( it helps
 

Bill Hara

Old Hand
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It is always terrible so soon after such tragedy. With the recent losses here in my country with the bushfires it is amazing to see the spirit of the people picking their lives up and the communities getting together to help those that need it most.
I can only hope that such community spirit is alive in Italy and the people there in need receive urgent and full assistance.
 

Randy V

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Thanks for checking in with us Paolo... I don't believe God hates you or your cities.. I think these things just happen - but extreme tragedies in any case...

Bill - to the losses down under - again these were terrible and will affect lives forever... :(
 

Bill Hara

Old Hand
GT40s Supporter
Randy

I travelled today through some of the fire ravaged regions and to see 100km + of burnt forest and burnt homes along the way really added scale to the horror.

That is not to take away from the horrors of mother nature in Italy, my thoughts are with those poor souls.
 
and the hearthquake goes on..also those hours..:( now are in evidence some shitty quality buildings done in the 60's-70s and 80s.
Consider one of the most damaged (99% gone..) building was the Hospital of the city, finished in 2000 after the (here usual) 30 years of work in progress.

all this is so sad...really:(

Seems Obama will help in rebuild something nice down here..they talk of a church (too many medieval ones there damaged),this will be really lovely.
 

Randy V

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I really hope that your government brings about some sort of legislation that requires buildings to be of a higher standard if they have not already Paolo...
This obviously won't help restore the hundreds of years of architecture that were destroyed - but would still be a step in the right direction..

Bill - It only takes one trip to areas like that to bring it solidly home... We've had tornados do similar things in wiping smaller towns right off the map - taking the terrified citizens along with it in the night..
The absolute worse is when a huge tornado descends for the first time in a town during a thunderstorm at night.. You can't even begin to see the monster that comes calling...
 
Guys,

I just talked to a good friend of mine in Chieti. He said that:
- people are really uptight about the situation, and people are sleeping in their cars
- A few years ago, an earthquake hit one of the regions, and finally the government is passing judgment and putting the people who built substandard housing, either through poor workmanship or materials, in jail
- they are all hoping this is going to pass before long

Hard to believe that Japan has buildings that withstand twice what the Italians have, literally up to 9 on (probably the Mercali and not Richter) scale.

Let's hope that this gets sorted before long !!!

Best
Dom
 
too many ugly reality are coming out down here.
Seems many houses were build add only marine sand to cement (that comes very cheaper but is NOT cement),and is incredible to see brand new houses completely destroyed (as well as some old and very old ones are still in perfect conditions).
The swimming pool done in 1927 from Mussolini's guys neither had a window crashed.

It always depend from the way they made the costruction work.Too often they just care of a pretty nice look before a real strong and safe structure, as well as in Brescia (deep north italy) they build an entire hospital over a giant railway underground to warrantee a super safe floating structure even in the strongest earthquake we can have.
And Brescia is NOT is an earthquake zone.
the hospital from l'Aquila instead..was the first structure totalled,and was finished in 2000.
Almost all the building gone are from the 60s or very very old medioeval cathedrals.
Add to this, in Italy we dont have the american tradition to build houses in wood.
Here just bricks, cement and stones.

It is a real mess and too sad day down there,today we had the funeral of the 300 people dead in this tragedy:(
Thousands of people lost really all in 30 seconds.


In old Rome,they use to pubblic behade the architect if the build they made falls down in an earthquake.
Almost all old Rome's villas are still there since 2000 yrs...
 

Pete McCluskey.

Lifetime Supporter
In old Rome,they use to pubblic behade the architect if the build they made falls down in an earthquake.
Almost all old Rome's villas are still there since 2000 yrs...<!-- google_ad_section_end -->

Hmmm, a bit harsh but obviously effective.. Come to think of it most architects I have had dealings with I have ended up wishing I could behead them.
We have the same problems here buildings being built to a price rather than to a quality. And being passed by corrupt inspectors even when defective.
Fortunately we are not in an earthquake zone.
 
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