Italy on Saturday marked 10 years since a devastating earthquake hit L’Aquila, killing 309 people and destroying much of the historic Italian city.
The quake left at least 80,000 people homeless in the rugged Abruzzo region, and the city has battled to build quake-proof housing for them in so-called New Towns.L’Aquila’s elegant buildings and squares — which span the medieval, Renaissance and Baroque periods — are slowly being renovated and businesses are reopening.
The quake spurred emergency services to reorganise their disaster response in a country that is frequently struck by devastating seismic activity.“I still have a deep memory, especially of the Red Cross volunteers from L’Aquila, struck by the devastation in their homes and their families,” said Italian Red Cross president Francesco Rocca.
