At 10pm on
September 14, a 4.2 magnitude earthquake struck the Mugello area, causing
residents to flee their homes. A few minutes later, it was followed by another
quake measuring 2.8 on the Richter scale. Police reported, however, that no one
was injured. Approximately 60 buildings sustained damage.
The epicenter of
the quake that hit the Tuscan-Emilian Appenines was an area encompassing the
municipalities of Barberino del Mugello, Scarperia and Borgo San Lorenzo.
The tremors, which
were felt from Florence to Bologna, caused panic, as many feared a repeat of
the deadly quake that struck the Abruzzo region on April 6. Tuscan officials,
however, urged calm.
The following day,
Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi inaugurated a new day care centre and dozens
of new homes for residents in the Abruzzo town of Onna, leveled in the April
quake. The new homes, single-story houses and apartments complete with
furniture and appliances, are the gift of Italy’s Trento region, the Italian
Red Cross and the Italian civil protection agency. The premier also said that
L’Aquila’s still numerous tent cities will be dismantled by October of this
year, in anticipation of winter.
