Amatrice: The name of the Italian municipality stands for a devastating earthquake disaster. Thousands of people were left homeless and 299 died. Five years on, there is still a lot to do.
Amatrice – Five years after the devastating earthquake in central Italy, politicians and representatives from church and society will commemorate the disaster of 2016 in Amatrice on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Mario Draghi wanted to come to the ceremony in the village in the Rieti province that morning. According to the government, a speech was not initially planned.
On August 24, 2016, an earthquake measuring six in magnitude hit Amatrice and the surrounding communities. Almost 300 people lost their lives in Amatrice, Accumoli and Arquata del Tronto.
The pictures of the catastrophe went around the world at that time. Amatrice was in ruins after the earthquake. Pope Francis, among others, visited the place in October 2016 to get an idea of the situation – and stood in front of the remains of the houses.
Reconstruction is only slowly beginning
Life there is still complicated today, said Deputy Mayor Amatrices, Massimo Bufacchi, of the German Press Agency. Only now does the actual construction begin. There are many difficulties for the people who have decided to stay in the place. “For example, there is no real hospital that is currently being rebuilt – with an important donation from the German government,” he said.
Amatrice should be resurrected more alive, but above all more securely. “History has undeniably been lost and the wounds the earthquake left in the community are really difficult to overcome,” said Bufacchi. According to his own statements, he wants to ask Prime Minister Draghi to keep the reins taut and to ensure that there is still help with problems on the ground.
There is a lack of experts
Reconstruction is starting slowly, the government-appointed commissioner who is responsible for the consequences of the earthquake, Giovanni Legnini, reported at a press conference on Monday. Although many companies are working on the reconstruction, there are in some cases a lack of experts to develop the projects. More than 130 communities were affected by the quake at that time – Amatrice is symbolic of the disaster in the entire area. Since then, around 411 million euros have been spent on public reconstruction.
In the months after and in the following year 2017, earthquakes shook the area again. Tragic: In August 2016, a church tower withstood the strong earthquake and was a symbol of the catastrophe. The subsequent tremors caused further damage to him – in the end he collapsed. dpa
