Quakes cause fear, injuries, widespread damage in central Italy

Authorities scrambled to find housing Thursday for thousands of people displaced by a pair of strong earthquakes that struck the same region of central Italy hit by a deadly quake in August, hoping to prevent a second night for them on the street or in cars.

The one-two punch packed by the quakes some two hours apart Wednesday evening meant many people were out of harm's way before the second, more powerful temblor, which toppled many historic buildings that had survived previous jolts.

But no one was trapped in rubble and there were no reports of serious injuries. The only death in the aftermath was attributed to a heart attack in a 73-year-old man.

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Thousands of people spent the night in their cars following the pair of quakes that struck late in the evening, sending residents into the streets in pouring rain, too late for authorities to come up with adequate shelter.

The earthquake on Aug. 24 in the same area killed nearly 300 people and destroyed several towns.

The head of Italy's civil protection agency, Fabrizio Curcio, said it appeared that the situation "is not as catastrophic" as it could have been.

The government on Thursday earmarked 40 million euros to help rebuild, while civil protection officials said the first priority would be to find people hotels and other structures.

"We have to avoid that people sleep in cars or tents," said the head of Italy's civil protection agency, Fabrizio Curcio. "The plan is to bring people to hotels and then to come up with temporary solutions with calm."

Mayors of towns scattered in the mountain region spanning the Umbria and Marche regions say many more homes were rendered uninhabitable, on top of those damaged in the devastating August quake. In the town of Ussita, Mayor Marco Rinaldi said his town had been "devastated," with up to 80 per cent of the houses no longer inhabitable.

Many residents of Campi, a town of about 200, slept in their cars as aftershocks rocked the Umbria, Marche and Lazio regions throughout the night.

"I can't shake off the fear," said Mauro Viola, 64, who said he had notslept and had spent the night outside.

Police had blocked off the road to his home with a park bench, and Viola said a chapel beyond his house had collapsed.

Multiple quakes, aftershocks rattle residents

Thequakes, about two hours apart, damaged several buildings, including Campi's late 14th century church, San Salvatore a Campi di Norcia, whose rose-windowed facade was reduced to rubble.

The first tremor measured magnitude 5.4, causing many people to flee their homes and the second was stronger at magnitude 6.1. A 4.9 aftershock came a couple hours after that, and dozens of weaker ones followed.

Rescue workers set up some 50 beds in a quake-proof building for people who could not sleep in their homes.

"The first tremor damaged buildings, with the second one we had collapses," fire department official, Rosario Meduri, said.

He had come from southern Italy before Wednesday's tremors to help secure structures damaged by the August earthquake that hit some 50 kilometresto the south.

While massive boulders that tumbled down the valley had yet to be cleared from the roads, on the whole there was a sense of relief. The fact that the first earthquake was weaker than the second probably helped save lives because most people had already left their homes, Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said on state radio.

He also said that a decree now being voted on by parliament to pay for the immediate costs of the August tremor could be extended to cover the latest series of quakes.

Firefighters were helping residents to retrieve objects from their homes in the red zone. Most were intact, showing only cracks.

Schools were closed in much of the area Thursday as a precaution and a handful of hospitals were evacuated after suffering damage.

Scramble for temporary shelter

Camerino Mayor Gianluca Pasqui said the town's historic bell tower had collapsed, but emphasized that reconstruction work after a 6.1 quake in 1997 appeared to have contributed to the absence of serious injury.

"I can say that the city didn't have victims. That means that even if there is a lot of damage probably the reconstruction in the historic centre was done in a correct and adequate manner. Because otherwise, we would be speaking of something else," Pasqui told Sky TG24.

The president of Umbria region, Catiuscia Marini, told RAI state television that officials are scrambling to come up with temporary housing, mindful that with winter approaching and temperatures dropping, tents can't be deployed as they were after the August quake. The concern for the predominantly elderly population of the remote mountain region was repeated by other officials.

Marini said that after the quakes many people will be fearful of staying even in hotels deemed safe, and that solutions like campers were being considered.

"We don't have injured, we have people who are very afraid, who have anxiety, especially the elderly," she said.

In Visso, Mayor Giuliano Passaglini said he was only able to provide shelter for a couple hundred residents overnight, and most people spent the night in their cars. About 800 people were without shelter in Visso.