The largest in a sequence of three related earthquakes struck central Italy yesterday, severely damaging the town of Norcia, 56 miles north of Rome, according to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide.
The Oct. 30th temblor, at magnitude 6.6, was the most powerful to hit the country in more than three decades. Two other earthquakes, at magnitudes 5.5 and 6.1, shook the country on Oct. 26.
Since the magnitude 6.2 earthquake that severely damaged the town of Amatrice on August 24, the U.S. Geological Service has reported more than 40 events of magnitude 4.0 and larger in the region. Fortunately, there are no reports of casualties following this most recent event, many residents having left the region because of the earlier earthquakes.
|1915 earthquake
The largest instrumentally recorded rupture in the region was a devastating magnitude 6.7 earthquake in 1915, which resulted in approximately 32,000 deaths. A small number of injuries have been reported as a result of the latest quake, but no deaths.
The Oct. 30 earthquake has both added to the damage caused by earlier events in the sequence and added to the destruction. It damaged historical buildings as far away as Rome and led to the closure of schools there, but most damage is reported in the medieval walled town of Norcia, close to the epicenter.
The Basilica of San Benedetto, which marks the traditional birthplace of St. Benedict, founder of the Benedictine monastic order, and the Cathedral of St. Mary Argentea, known for its 15th century frescoes, have been virtually destroyed. The towns of Castelsantangelo and Preci, largely abandoned after last week's quakes, also suffered considerable destruction. Many homes have been damaged, and some villages in the area are still cut off.
Tthe majority of buildings in Italy are constructed with unreinforced masonry, reinforced masonry, or reinforced concrete construction, according to AIR. Because most structures were built before the introduction of comprehensive seismic building codes and modern construction technology, the risk of collapse during an earthquake for those erected prior to 1980 is very high.
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A view of the damaged village of Campi, Italy. The third powerful earthquake to hit Italy in two months spared human life Sunday, but struck at the nation's identity, destroying a Benedictine cathedral, a medieval tower and other beloved landmarks that had survived the earlier jolts across a mountainous region of small historic towns. (Photo: Gregorio Borgia/AP Photo)
|Italy's insurance market
According to AIR, Italy’s nonlife insurance market is the eighth-largest in the world and the fifth-largest in Europe; its property insurance market is the second-largest nonlife market in the country after automobile.
However, earthquake coverage is often not included in standard homeowners’ policies and is typically issued as an extension of fire policies.
For industrial and commercial structures, earthquake coverage may be offered for an additional premium, which varied by region. The government budget includes provisions for post-disaster insurance payouts instead of a state pool or catastrophe fund into which companies can contribute.
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A view of a damaged church in the village of Visso, Italy, on Oct 27, 2016 after a 5.9 earthquake destroyed part of the town. Authorities scrambled to find housing 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. (Photo: Sandro Perozzi/AP Photo)
A view of the destroyed graveyard in Campi, Italy. (Photo: Gregorio Borgia/AP Photo)
A woman is escorted by Italian firefighters to collect her belongings after the magnitude 6.6 earthquake in Norcia, Italy. (Photo: Gregorio Borgia/AP Photo) 
Residents prepare to spend the night in a camp set in a warehouse in the village of Caldarola, Italy, on Sunday. Another powerful earthquake shook central Italy on Sunday, sending panicked residents running into piazzas, raining boulders onto highways and toppling a Benedictine cathedral and other historic edifices that had withstood several recent quakes. There were no immediate reports of deaths. (Photo: Sandro Perozzi/AP Photo)
A house was completely destroyed in the small town of Visso in central Italy, Oct 27 after a 5.9 earthquake destroyed part of the town. A pair of strong aftershocks shook central Italy last week, crumbling churches and buildings, knocking out power and sending panicked residents into the rain-drenched streets just two months after a powerful earthquake killed nearly 300 people. (Photo: Alessandra Tarantino/AP Photo)
A resident carrying his belongings passes in front of the collapsed bell tower of the Santa Maria in Via church in the town of Camerino, in central Italy, on Oct 27 after a 5.9 earthquake destroyed part of the town. Authorities began to assess the damage caused by a pair of strong quakes last week in the same region of central Italy hit by the deadly August temblor, as local officials appealed for temporary housing adequate for the cold mountain temperatures with winter’s approach. (Photo: Alessandra Tarantino/AP Photo)
A house was completely destroyed in the town of Camerino, Italy. (Photo: Alessandra Tarantino/AP Photo)
A bedroom was left in open air in a severely damaged house in the small town of Visso, Italy. (Photo: Alessandra Tarantino/AP Photo)
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Jayleen R. Heft
Jayleen Heft is the digital content editor for PropertyCasualty360.com. Contact her at [email protected].
