1980 Irpinia earthquake

The Irpinia Earthquake of 1980 ( Italian Terremoto dell'Irpinia ) was the worst natural disaster of the Italian post-war history. Shocks of strength 6.89 on the moment magnitude scale shook the regions of Campania and Basilicata on November 23, 1980 at 18:34 UTC clock. The Schütter area encompassed a region between Naples and Potenza. The hypocenter of the earthquake was at a depth of 20 km.

Impact of the earthquake

The worst affected areas were in the region of Irpinia, the provinces of Avellino, Salerno and Potenza; here especially the places to Conza della Campania: Castelnuovo di Conza, Laviano, LIONI, Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi, Santomenna, Calabritto, Caposele, Giardia Lombardi, Pescopagano, Sant'Andrea di Conza, San Mango sul Calore, San Michele di Serino, Senerchia and Teora. Was felt the earthquake in Southern Italy.

2,914 people died, more than 10,000 were injured, more than 300,000 people were left homeless. More than 90 aftershocks complicated the rescue work. Disaster assistance was provided not only by the Italian authorities from around the world were received donations and government support. From the United States 70 million U.S. dollars have been donated, came from Germany 32 million, even from countries like Iraq (3.1 million ) and Algeria ( 0.5 million ) were received aid. A total of 58.64 billion lire were invested to repair the damage over time. About the use of funds, there was considerable controversy because the correct allocation of aid has been questioned.

In addition to many corrupt local politicians who enriched themselves on the international aid money, branched and the local Camorra significant sums for off - sometimes in the form of bogus construction projects, as well as protection money, which was extorted from charitable organizations. Only about a quarter of the total reached the real victims. In the course of the three-year distribution struggle, which spread from 1980 between the Camorra clans, a further eight hundred people died.

Geological framework

The Irpinia is one of the most earthquake-prone regions in the Southern Apennines. Here occur in the course of the Apennines following zone on average every 20 years damaging earthquakes with an intensity greater than IX on the Mercalli scale, which most of them at depths between 20 and 30 kilometers. The responsible for the earthquake stresses are due to the opening of the Tyrrhenian Sea and the ongoing folding and overthrust processes in the Southern Apennines.