Earthquake, human and urban landscape is the first article in Quaderno 16 “Human landscapes, urban landscapes” available from this link in July
On 30 October 2016 at 7:40 a magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Norcia and the surrounding areas. A much stronger shock than the one that only a few days earlier (August 24) had hit the same area, destroying Amatrice. In those hours of August 24, Central Italy saw entire inhabited areas razed to the ground and suffered considerable losses both in terms of human lives and of buildings and places full of art.
The relief efforts started immediately as did the promise of reconstruction and reorganization of the territory. To date, entire areas still see the damage of the earthquake and the reconstruction works have not been completed.
The 2016 earthquake: the damages
The town of Norcia has suffered serious damage to its artistic and cultural heritage, its symbol is the Basilica of San Benedetto. Some hamlets such as San Pellegrino, Campi di Norcia and Castelluccio di Norcia have been almost destroyed.
The slow rebuilding
The aid machine was set in motion from the very first hours. A great deployment of civil and military protection means intervening to bring aid and secure the areas devastated by the main shocks and subsequent aftershocks […]
How the territory has changed
The earthquakes in 2016 produced numerous changes to the morphology of the territory. The earthquake produced a variation of the soil that affects an area of over one thousand square kilometres, the area of Norcia underwent a shift towards the west, with surface faults reaching up to 180 centimetres. In some areas the hilly or mountainous level has decreased, and the watercourses have undergone variations. The opening and closing of natural springs have also caused a change in the economies that revolve around these water sources.
The territory has changed because of the damages and because of reconstruction. The surface occupied by houses has significantly increased up to doubling in various areas. This to the detriment of the green areas around Norcia that were once the pride of the area […]
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