Italy: Earthquakes leave tens of thousands homeless

Around two months after the severe earthquake which devastated the town of Amatrice, central Italy was once again shaken by tremors this weekend. The latest earthquakes had their epicenter near to the town of Norcia. They destroyed whole villages, and made tens of thousands of people homeless.

Staff from CISOM, the Order of Malta’s Italian relief corps, were on the scene shortly after the earthquakes struck. “We are in close contact with Mauro Casinghini, the head of CISOM, and we are ready to provide our support as soon as it is asked for,” said Ingo Radtke, Malteser International’s Secretary General. “As always, CISOM is excellently organized. They are well-integrated with the national civil protection authorities, and they are providing professional aid. At the moment, the situation is being assessed by an Advanced Coordination Center in the affected area in order to determine the best way to structure relief efforts.”

Around twenty people are reported to have been injured in the earthquakes. The inhabitants of the affected region are now to be temporarily rehoused.