2009 L'Aquila earthquake

Date: April 6, 2009

Place: L’Aquila, Italy (region of Abruzzo)

Result: 309 dead; 1,500 injured; 65,000 left homeless; 4,000 buildings destroyed; 70,000 buildings damaged

Overview

L’Aquila, the capital city of the Abruzzo region in central Italy, is no stranger to earthquakes. Seismic activity has rocked the city for centuries, including a serious quake in 1703 that destroyed many of the city’s most ancient buildings and killed about five thousand people. The 6.3 magnitude earthquake that shook the area at 3:32 a.m. on the morning of April 6, 2009, was different in several ways, however. It took down buildings that many considered safe, uncovered shoddy building practices suspected of contributing to the death toll, and resulted in manslaughter charges being brought against six scientists and an elected official.

Background

Built in the thirteenth century, L’Aquila is located in the Apennine Mountains along the Paganica fault. The area was struck by a swarm of smaller earthquakes for months prior to the fatal quake on April 6. These smaller quakes began around the end of 2008 and hit a peak on March 30, 2009, when a 4.1 magnitude earthquake shook the area.

The intensity and duration of the earthquake swarm had many in the area nervous, and officials held a meeting on March 31, 2009, seeking insight into the possibility of a larger, more devastating quake. The meeting, called by the Civil Protection Department, was held in L’Aquila. During the approximately one-hour meeting, officials questioned volcanologists, seismologists, and engineers about the likelihood that the ongoing seismic activity meant a larger quake was coming. The experts said the existing science did not make it possible to predict earthquakes with any accuracy and that seismic swarms like that being experienced in the area did not necessarily predict a larger quake. The officials then offered assurances to the residents that the earthquake swarm did not necessarily indicate an imminent serious earthquake.

April 6, 2009. Less than a week later, the 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit. The quake struck at a shallow depth of only about 9 kilometers, or 5.5 miles, increasing the intensity felt above ground. It was strong enough to set off car alarms in Rome about 100 kilometers, or 60 miles, away. The timing, in the middle of the night, meant that many residents were inside asleep and were hit by falling debris or trapped in their homes. Entire families were killed, as were fifty-five university students asleep in a dorm that collapsed. The earthquake affected about twenty-six villages in the area, but L’Aquila was the epicenter and the hardest hit area. The final death toll was 309, about 203 of whom died in L’Aquila, with about 1,500 injured and as many as 65,000 left homeless throughout the area, 49,000 of them permanently. Four thousand buildings were destroyed by the quake or needed to be torn down after, and another 70,000 needed repair before they could be occupied.

Several large aftershocks struck in the hours and days after the initial quake, including a 4.8 magnitude quake that occurred about one hour after the main earthquake and damaged the hospital where many victims had been taken. Government buildings, churches, and the utility infrastructure were also severely damaged, prompting many residents to leave the area permanently.

The severity of the damage, especially that to hospitals and other emergency response sites, forced some doctors and paramedics to work outside with limited equipment to treat the wounded. The facilities that were standing were overwhelmed with the injured, who in some places were lined up in hallways waiting their turn for treatment. Tens of thousands of displaced residents were moved into tent camps or put up in hotels or other temporary housing.

Legal Action.In the days following the earthquake, many residents wanted answers as to why there was not more warning that a fatal quake could happen. A number of residents, unnerved by several larger tremors in the hours immediately preceding the quake, had stayed outside their homes and were uninjured. They questioned whether the six experts and officials who had spoken at the March 31 meeting could have better predicted the imminence of the quake or encouraged others to stay outside, saving lives.

In 2010, the six scientists and one government official who spoke at that meeting were put under investigation for giving false assurances at the March 31, 2009, meeting. In September 2011, they were put on trial for manslaughter. Each was initially given a six-year jail sentence in 2012. After appeals were heard in 2014, the six scientists—a volcanologist, three seismologists, and two seismic engineers—were acquitted of all charges. The seventh defendant, Bernardo De Bernardinis, had his sentence reduced to two years. He had been the deputy head of the Civil Protection Department at the time of the meeting.

Impact

In the aftermath of the quake, many residents left the area permanently, and many ancient and historic buildings, including the area’s famous cathedral, were destroyed.

The idea that scientists could be put on trial for failing in an inexact science such as earthquake prediction rocked the scientific world. This raised concerns that other experts might be reluctant to speak out about other events for fear of being held accountable for failure to predict even the most unpredictable disasters.

The damage done to many of the buildings also brought to light the need for increased enforcement of building codes related to earthquake safety. The 2009 quake revealed many buildings had been constructed with substandard concrete containing too much sand, and that other laws enacted to make buildings more able to withstand earthquakes were simply ignored. Four technicians who worked on the project building the college dorm where many students were killed—a newer building supposedly built to withstand earthquakes—were jailed for their negligent actions. Another problem that was uncovered concerned the remodeling of older buildings. It was found that while many countries require that any building being remodeled be brought up to code for earthquake safety, this was not the case in L’Aquila. As a result, many buildings were a combination of old and new materials that were more prone to breaking down during an earthquake. Because of this, many laws regarding earthquake safety were reviewed and overhauled.

Some good did come out of the quake, however. A group of academics established the Gran Sasso Science Institute just inside the L’Aquila city limits to further scientific research and help bring people and business back to the area.

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