The death toll seems to jump every few minutes. From 30 early this morning, to 40 just a few minutes ago, to “more than 90” at the time this post is written.
Hopefully, it will climb no higher.
The epicenter of the 6.3 magnitude earthquake was in L’Aquila, a picturesque town approximately 95 miles east of Rome. Officials stated that 40,000 to 50,000 people had been left homeless in the area, also known as the Abruzzo Region. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has declared a state of emergency in the area.
It has been reported that several historic sites have been damaged or destroyed by this morning’s quake, taking away hundreds of years of history in just a few moments. These aging sites are oftentimes difficult to insure since the design and construction of historical buildings invariably makes them more vulnerable to damage and more expensive to repair. Two of the few insurers who do offer historical property insurance here in the U.S. are Fireman’s Fund and National Trust Insurance Services, though historic property policy rates are certainly higher than rates for your average property insurance.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the last two major earthquakes to hit the area were devastating as well. In 1997, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck just 50 miles from this morning’s quake, killing 11, injuring more than 100 and destroying 80,000 homes. In 1980, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake occurred 150 miles southeast of L’Aquila, killing 2,483 people.
In response to the ever-present danger of earthquakes and the widespread damage they produce, catastrophe risk modeling firm AIR Worldwide released its Global Earthquake Model (GEM), to be used to assess seismic risk. “GEM will be the critical instrument to support decisions and actions that reduce earthquake losses worldwide,” said Dr. Ross Stein, geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey and GEM co-founder.
Though GEM is still in its infant stages, hopes are that it will someday be able to prevent or lessen the losses, both human and property, we see in Italy today.
(United States Geological Survey)