Three Earthquakes Rock Italy

The quakes hit a region already coping with heavy snowfall

SIPA USA/SIPA/AP

Snow blankets the town of Amatrice, in central Italy. It is near the epicenter of three earthquakes that occurred Wednesday morning.

Three earthquakes hit central Italy, in the Marche region, on Wednesday morning. Many towns in the region were blanketed with up to three feet of snow, making it difficult for aid to reach them. The quake, coupled with the snow, caused landslides and widespread power outages.

So far, no deaths have been reported. Still, Italy’s prime minister, Paolo Gentiloni, called it a “difficult day” for the country.

A Series of Tremors

CLAUDIO LATTANZIO—ANSA/AP

Firefighters try to help elderly people trapped in their home in Montereale, one of the towns struck by the quakes.

The first quake struck at about 10:25 a.m. local time, shaking the town of Montereale. Its magnitude was 5.3 on the Richter scale—slightly below the 5.5 magnitude generally considered to be the threshold for very destructive quakes. The second tremor occurred in the same area a little less than an hour later, with a magnitude of 5.7. The third quake came just 10 minutes later, with a magnitude of 5.3.

The region was already reeling from severe storms that dumped feet of snow on rural villages, making them virtually inaccessible from major roads. The storms also left many residents without electricity. The quakes worsened the problem and knocked out some cell phone service, as well. Emergency responders struggled to reach the isolated areas. Residents were left to wait anxiously for military snowplows to arrive and clear the way for emergency vehicles.

“The situation is really getting extreme," Franco Campitelli, the mayor of the town of Canzano, told the Associated Press. "It's snowing hard. We're without electricity. … We risk being completely isolated.”

Tremors from the quake were felt as far away as Rome, the nation’s capital. Subways, schools, and businesses were temporarily shut down there, as a precaution.

Bringing Back Memories

The Marche region is still coping with the destruction caused by a series of powerful earthquakes that struck last year. Hundreds of people died in the region, with 46 killed in just one tiny mountain village, Pescara del Tronto. The nearby city of Amatrice lost 236 people in a major quake in August 2016. It is near the epicenter of the new tremors.

Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European Commission, said that all of Europe stands with Italy during this difficult time. “We will provide all kinds of efforts, instruments, helps at our disposal,” he said. “Italy cannot be left alone.”

As kids, you may feel powerless to help, but can you think of a way we can help the people of Italy?