The Irpinia earthquake that occurred on 23 November 1980 devastated Campania and Basilicata. The earthquake affected an extensive area between the provinces of Salerno and Potenza. With a magnitude of 6.9, it is considered one of the most disastrous earthquakes in recent Italian history.
The Irpinia earthquake of 23 November 1980
A normal Sunday that turned into a tragedy. On the evening of 23 November 1980 at 7:34 p.m., the earth trembled in much of Southern Italy. The main shock of the Irpinia earthquake was magnitude 6.9. The earthquake hit a large area of the southern Apennines with devastating effects especially in Irpinia and in the provinces of Avellino, Salerno and Potenza.
The earthquake that destroyed everything lasted for more than one minute, leaving an endless series of rubble and ruins in places where the inhabitants were hit the hardest.
The intensity of the Irpinia earthquake on the Mercalli Scale was IX. The event was not characterized by just one shock as, within forty seconds of the first, two more occurred, also with magnitude around 6.4 – 6.6. As explained by the NIGV, it is as if in less than one minute three earthquakes, all stronger than the one in L’Aquila in 2009, had hit the area.
Damage and victims of the Irpinia earthquake
500 municipalities out of 700 affected, almost 3,000 dead, more than 8,000 injured and 280,000 displaced. The impact of the earthquake was devastating. Among the most affected municipalities were Castelnuovo di Conza, Conza della Campania, Laviano, Lioni, Sant’Angelo dei Lombardi and Santomenna.
It took days for the country to understand the enormity of the tragedy and send the necessary help.
Chaos and underestimation of the problem turned it into a huge disaster, leaving people buried alive in the rubble for days. “There were no immediate relief efforts that should have been made there,” President Sandro Pertini told TG2 two years later. “There were still moans rising from the rubble, cries of despair from those buried alive.” The wound of the Irpinia earthquake remained gaping for years, deeply marking both the landscape and the inhabitants.
The period after the 1980 earthquake and reconstruction
Soon after the earthquake of 1980, relief and rescue efforts were entrusted mainly to local authorities and volunteers. At the time, the Civil Protection was not a structured and stable institution. For this reason, it took more time for the government’s direct intervention to be implemented. Nevertheless, the day after the earthquake, about 27 thousand soldiers arrived on the scene. There was no shortage of international aid.
Ten thousand tents and 1,231 railway carriages were set up to house the homeless, while about 16.5 thousand people returned to their homes as soon as surveyors declared them safe. Over the days, as winter approached, the homeless were moved to more suitable facilities such as caravans, schools or other public buildings.
Over the following months and years, funds were allocated for reconstruction but, according to the CFTI portal, twenty years after the earthquake, reconstruction had still not been completely finished and a few thousand people continue to live in temporary housing.
