6.2 Earthquake in Norcia, Italy

The Mayor of Amatrice said half the town is gone. Roads are out. People under rubble and landslides. I am sure other towns will be reporting similar issues. I pray that loss of life will be minimal. I am heading to Orvieto in October and I imagine there will be some sort of damage there too.

Ya, the news is not good. Damage is significant. One of the principle reason I always carry my passport. You never know.

Looks like Italy is seismically active. The 6.2 magnitude was followed by a 5.5.

4.3
3km N of Norcia, Italy
2016-08-24 02:59:35 (UTC)
6.3 km

5.5
4km NE of Norcia, Italy
2016-08-24 02:33:30 (UTC)
10.0 km
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us10006g7w#executive

4.0
9km SSE of Maltignano, Italy
2016-08-24 02:19:44 (UTC)
7.8 km

4.1
6km SW of Arquata del Tronto, Italy
2016-08-24 02:05:57 (UTC)
10.0 km

4.6
10km W of Amatrice, Italy
2016-08-24 01:56:02 (UTC)
10.0 km

6.2
10km SE of Norcia, Italy
2016-08-24 01:36:33 (UTC)
10.0 km
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us10006g7d#shakemap

Yes Italy is seismically very active. The most active in the EU after Greece in fact.

That's why I moved to California. It feels like being at home both from a climate standpoint and also from a earthshaking standpoint.

http://horizon-magazine.eu/sites/default/files/SHARE-map.png

The local coverage from RAI as well as by the BBC which has people up there, shows horrible destruction of property and tragic loss-of-life. We had only an aftershock in Roma. While not as destructive as the 2009 quake, still sad and something you cannot really prepare for.

...quake, still sad and something you cannot really prepare for.

Those of us living in EQ country should be aware that you can prepare for earthquakes, but it is a bit hard as a traveler living out of a carry-on only. We will be dependent on the generosity of the locals.

https://www.ready.gov/earthquakes

That said, during an EQ event:

If you are inside a building:

Stay where you are until the shaking stops. Do not run outside. Do not
get in a doorway as this does not provide protection from falling or
flying objects, and you may not be able to remain standing. Drop down
onto your hands and knees so the earthquake doesn’t knock you down.
Drop to the ground (before the earthquake drops you!)

Cover your head and neck with your arms to protect yourself from
falling debris. If you are in danger from falling objects, and you can
move safely, crawl for additional cover under a sturdy desk or table.

If there is low furniture or an interior wall or corner nearby, and
the path is clear, these may also provide some additional cover.

Stay away from glass, windows, outside doors and walls, and anything
that could fall, such as light fixtures or furniture.

Hold on to any sturdy covering so you can move with it until the
shaking stops. Stay where you are until the shaking stops.

If getting safely to the floor to take cover won’t be possible:

Identify an inside corner of the room away from windows and objects
that could fall on you. The Earthquake Country Alliance advises
getting as low as possible to the floor. People who use wheelchairs or
other mobility devices should lock their wheels and remain seated
until the shaking stops. Protect your head and neck with your arms, a
pillow, a book, or whatever is available.

If you are in bed when you feel the shaking:

If you are in bed: Stay there and Cover your head and neck with a
pillow. At night, hazards and debris are difficult to see and avoid;
attempts to move in the dark result in more injuries than remaining in
bed. If you are outside when you feel the shaking:

If you are outdoors when the shaking starts, move away from buildings,
streetlights, and utility wires. Once in the open, “Drop, Cover, and
Hold On.” Stay there until the shaking stops. This might not be
possible in a city, so you may need to duck inside a building to avoid
falling debris.

If you are in a moving vehicle when you feel the shaking:

If you are in a moving vehicle, stop as quickly and safely as possible
and stay in the vehicle. Avoid stopping near or under buildings,
trees, overpasses, and utility wires. Proceed cautiously once the
earthquake has stopped. Avoid roads, bridges, or ramps that the
earthquake may have damaged.

Lots of fatalities; very, very sad.

http://www.thelocal.it

@Edgar

I'm not sure if all the advice we receive here along the San Andreas fault would apply well to the ancient stone buildings in the historical centers of Italy. Those buildings don't do as well as the more modern wood buildings that are prevalent here in the West, or even the more modern reinforced concrete buildings that are in the newer parts of town in Italy.

I have a country house in Italy that is centuries years old. I can guarantee you that if a quake hits, I'm not going to stay inside, because those ancient rocks are going to collapse on me like a house of cards.

I have friends in the fire department here who joke that the reason why they tell people to stay under doorways is to make it easier for the fire department to find the corpses later.

This earthquake was especially destructive because it was so shallow. The quakes from the San Andreas and San Juan De Fuca trenches range from shallow to deep which is why the level of damage can vary so much between similar magnitude. The wave-like motion felt in Rome is an indication of just how shallow it was. If you think of it like a drop in water the outer rings should only feel a slight shimmy, for them to feel a wave is really interesting. I am always surprised...especially by non-American tourists, who are touring Pompeii hardly anyone looks up at the mountain in the distance and remembers the eruption that created the devistation was preceded by several earthquakes.

Those of us living on the West Coast have grown up practicing for an earthquake and thinking about what we would do. Whenever I go out to the Oregon Coast I always check the evacuation routes because an off-shore quake followed by a tsunami is a very real possibility.

I really feel for the Central Italians and appreciate the reminder that bad things can happen even on vacation.

The Tuesday before I was to start class the following Monday, February 9, 1971, the Los Angeles area was hit by what came to be known as The San Fernando earthquake. It was a magnitude 6.7 and shake maps show strong to very strong shaking in Hollywood, where we lived.

It is hard to imagine what an earthquake feels like until you've lived through one. What I didn't know until then is that the initial quake is followed by a series of aftershocks, some as strong as 80% of the original quake. It messes with your head after awhile.

My prayers go out for all those affected both by the quake in Italy as well as the quake in Myanmar.

We are leaving for our scheduled vacation Italy tomorrow, flying into Rome. I have contacted a person we are supposed to meet in Spoleto on sunday and he wrote all is fine there. Also doing a tour with Roberto he assured me they are not affected in the Chianti area however he is looking to help the village that was in the quake. Very sad. Our flight is scheduled and not cancelled. We might be in the area I will make pics if I can but I am more looking at it from a humanitarian view and maybe we can help for a day ourselves as we will be staying in Assisi Umbria...

Stay where you are until the shaking stops. Do not run outside.

Reinforced masonry (brick) buildings historically were not adequately anchored to the floors and roof. During an earthquake, these reinforced masonry walls tend to pull away from the exterior of the building (i.e. away from the floors and roof). If you exit into the street during the shaking, you are more likely to be injured by falling masonry walls and gargoyles separating from the floors and roof than a building collapse. An in either case, in the event of a catastrophic collapse, it would likely happen before you could exit the building.

The above said, after the initial EQ shaking, it would be advisable to evacuate the building and stay clear of the fall zone (approximately the building height plus a safety factor). In small towns with narrow streets, this would likely be the town plaza. After shocks could destabilize the damaged structure. It's a good idea to take the time to put on foot ware before running out of the building.

RE: We might be in the area I will make pics....

Stay away. The emergency responders do not need tourist congesting the disaster zone and using up emergency worker resources.

Some roads are closed (tunnel collapses, bridge and surface damage and landslides) in the most heavily affected areas so I would steer clear as emergency responders try to get in and get people out.

What I didn't know until then is that the initial quake is followed by a series of aftershocks, some as strong as 80% of the original quake. It messes with your head after awhile.

I was awakened by the 1971 Sylmar quake (in Newport Beach, 60 miles away), and was just a couple of miles from the epicenter of the 1994 Northridge quake. Like yesterday's quake in Italy, the Northridge quake was very shallow, and thousands of aftershocks persisted over the next several months. Scientists on TV were grinning like a kid with a new toy ... "Wow, we sure learned a lot from this one. We didn't even know that fault was there! For all we know that might just be the foreshock of an even bigger one!!" Thanks for sharing. That didn't help our nerves each time another aftershock started.

I can certainly understand the horror those folks in Umbria are going through now.

Terrible news. A couple of my friends were supposed to fly in to Rome yesterday. I know it's a ways away from the epicenter, but I'm still a little worried that I haven't heard back from them yet. Hopefully they're just getting situated.

There is no damage in Tuscany. Heard from relatives who live close to the border with Unbria that they felt it but no consequences of any type there. So the Chianti is certainly ok.

I was in Paris when a 6.2 earthquake hit Yorba Linda. The epicenter was about 4 miles from our house. We were getting reading to go out to dinner in Paris and I had CNN on the TV. They interrupted the program with a news flash about the earthquake and I was watching pictures of the damage less than a mile from the house. It was surreal. I kept looking at the coverage all night to see if the helicopter shots would show my house. Fortunately, I was able to get hold of a neighbor who had a key and there was only minor damage.
Unless you have been through an earthquake, it is difficult to explain how you feel after one. You never know if it a precursor to a bigger shock. You suddenly develop "sea legs" and walking is a little strange. I remember getting on the floor during an aftershock of a big quake and watching the floor go up and down like ripples in a pond and I was on a cement floor. My prayers go out to all those affected.

Well, I was in the 9.0 magnitude earthquake in Japan 2011 and I was in an hotel room at the 13th floor. Just to give an idea: imagine severe turbulence on an airplane. The kind happening only on the very worst flights. Only, it was not an airplane, it was a building. I owe to the superb competence of Japanese builders being still alive; their buildings are built to swing instead of collapsing. Italy with its old, often centuries old homes, cannot compare.

Yosemite1 is right in writing that you develop "sea legs". Some light aftershocks may be perceived as feeling a sudden feebleness in your legs. Also, after a major earthquake you develop the routine of looking up to the ceiling to see if your chandelier is oscillating. In rooms where I had no chandelier, I hung up a wire with a weight.

I was living in Orange County California during an earthquake. I wasn't prepared for the noise that occurs during an earthquake. It sounded as if a train was going through my living room. What scared me about the earthquake is that it kept getting stronger and stronger - you never know when the "Big One" is coming.

Prayers for the Italians dealing with this right now. How very sad.

What I didn't know until then is that the initial quake is followed by a series of aftershocks, some as strong as 80% of the original quake.

Fun with EQ facts: EQ energy release is not linearly proportionate to EQ Magnitude.
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/topics/calculator.php
Comparing a 6.2M to 5.5M, the 6.2 displaces the seismograph pen 5 times that of the 5.5 and the 6.2 releases 11.2 times as much energy as a 6.5.

We are heading to Rome and Florence in 10 days. Glad to know all seems to be well in those areas. Also, thank you for the info of what to do if in that situation. I didn't know Italy was so seismically active until I investigated last night. God Bless all those affected by recent events and God keep safe survivors and responders.

Is it too late to purchase travel insurance?

We are traveling to Rome and then driving north toward Florence in 12 days. I am sorry to see the photos of devastation on TV and hear of so many lives lost in the recent earthquake. I received a message from someone in Florence this morning that he felt tremors at 3:37am. I hope as we drive through the countryside, that we will be able to get through the area north. I wanted to see the town of Todi, but am not sure it is ok to go in that direction from Rome. If there are tourists traveling through Tusany and Umbria going between Rome and Florence, please post your findings of unsafe or blocked areas for upcoming travelers. My thoughts and prayers are with the people of Italy for comfort and peace.

God bless all of those affected by this awful natural disaster. I have friends that live near Roma in Marino, but it is south of Roma so waiting to hear back from them that they are okay. Experienced a small earthquake here in VA 5 years ago, not much damage, but my house shook and the siding rattled. It is scary as at first thought you really don't know what is happening. Our prayers are with them, especially the young who have been hurt and killed, and the loss of their homes.

in response to nancywbrown: you can drive safely to Todi from Rome - no problem there. Just don't take the Via Salaria, if you're tempted to, and stick to the A1 motorway - the Via Salaria is being used by responders, armed forces and the likes and the governor has officially asked the population to avoid it as not to hinder operations, unless you leave in the area hit by the quake.

Such sad, sad news... Praying for all the people who have been affected by this horrible earthquake.

We also experienced the Northridge earthquake in 1994. We lived one mile from the epicenter, and our 2 story house (with heavy tile roof) felt as though a giant was shaking it up & down & sideways all at the same time.
My husband & I jumped out of bed, ran to our children's rooms, grabbed our children, stood in the doorway for a few seconds...Our house felt as though it was going to collapse on top of us, so my husband yells; "let's get out of here!" So we managed to get down the stairs, & out of the house! It was such a scary experience...

I didn't know Italy was so seismically active until I investigated
last night.

Marsha, as you're intending on exploring farther south of Rome on your next trip, it might be interesting to know that Pompeii, and to a lesser extent, Herculaneum, was still rebuilding after a very severe earthquake 17 years before Vesuvius blew. You can see evidence of considerable repair to some of the structures as you walk around the ruins.

http://www.napoliunplugged.com/the-first-destruction-of-pompeii-62-a-d.html

Supposedly quite a number of citizens - especially the wealthy who used Pompeii as a summer retreat - had either moved away or were staying away during rebuilding after that event.

A letter written by Pliney the Younger, which (I believe) is the only surviving eyewitness account of the volcanic blast, noted that, "For several days past there had been earth tremors which were not particularly alarming because they are frequent in Campania."

I grew up in southern California. This thread has led me to recall the slapping noise you would suddenly hear from waves in the swimming pool when an aftershock hit.

I was on the phone with a friend in the South Bay at the base of the San Francisco when the quake which knocked down the Embarcadero and Bay Bridge down hit.

I remember her telling me about the mini-tsunami in her swimming pool.

CNN: Why Italian region wasn't prepared for earthquake By Silvia Marchetti Wed August 24, 2016

When my bed in Rome rocked Wednesday at 3.36 a.m., I knew an
earthquake had hit somewhere close, in central Italy. And hard. But
when I switched on the TV and heard the epicenter was in the tiny
hilltop town of Accumoli on the Apennine hills, my first question was:
Where is that?

So none of this should come as a surprise, especially as the
quake-stricken area is not just dotted with these ghost towns, but
also rises on the Apennine "red belt," which has the country's highest
seismic risk level. Italy, meanwhile, is the most quake-exposed
country in the Mediterranean due to being atop the convergence of the
African and Eurasian plates; nearly 7 million Italians live in areas
at risk of natural calamities including mudslides and floods.

http://www.protezionecivile.gov.it/jcms/it/rischio_sismico.wp

Italy is one of the countries facing the greatest seismic risk in the
Mediterranean, due to its special geographical location, in the
convergence zone between the African plate and the Eurasian. The
highest seismicity is concentrated in the south central part of the
peninsula, along the Apennine ridge (Val di Magra, Mugello, Val
Tiberina, Val Nerina, Aquilano, Fucino, the Liri Valley, Benevento,
Irpinia), Calabria and Sicily and some northern areas, such as Friuli,
Veneto and the western part of Liguria. Only Sardinia not particularly
affected by seismic events.

After news like this, we should all be grateful for waking up to a regular day of the daily grind. Louisiana has flooding, Indiana has tornadoes, Italy is crumbling and dealing with many deaths. Let's be thankful for boring days.

After news like this, we should all be grateful for waking up to a
regular day of the daily grind. Louisiana has flooding, Indiana has
tornadoes, Italy is crumbling and dealing with many deaths. Let's be
thankful for boring days.

I totally agree. Whenever I'm having a bad day, I always think that it's nothing compared to what others are going through. It always puts things in perspective. I wish people didn't have to go through these terrible things.

283 victims, what I wonder is why earthquakes in these areas are always at night?

about the earthquake of Amatrice and Acquila (309 victims), nearby areas and only 4 minutes apart ( Amatrice year 2016 hours 3:36, Aquila year 2009 hours3:32)
In Italy, since 1930 about 19 earthquakes "deadly", 15 occurred at night or in the evenings, and 4 in the morning or afternoon "

The Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989 in Northern California happened on Oct 17 at 17:17 (17 is actually an unlucky number to Italians, just like 13).
So I'm not sure there is a correlation with night occurrence.
However, for all it's worth, when quakes happen at night the death toll seems to be lower. I read that was the case in Italy this week and the same would have been true here in 1989. Most of the victims in the 1989 Loma Prieta quake were commuters crushed inside their cars when the double decker I-880 freeway in West Oakland collapsed.

The two deadliest quakes of the last half-century in Southern California happened in the early-morning hours. Sylmar (1971) was about 6:00 am; and Northridge (1994) was at 4:31 am. The Northridge quake was also on a holiday (Martin Luther King Jr. Day). Had it not been on a holiday, and/or if it were later in the day when highways would have been jammed, the casualty toll would likely have been much higher.

Southern Californians speak of "earthquake weather", since many recall major quakes occurring during warm, dry, desert wind conditions ("Santa Ana winds" in local parlance). The 1994 Northridge quake is a prime example. No known actual correlation, but that's the local folklore.

We used to call it Shake and Bake

And with global warming, the forecast is to more and greater earthquakes. But we live near a super volcano that is 30,000 years behind its cycle. It it goes, we will go quickly according to the forecasts.