Italy Earthquake Response

In August 2016, a 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck central Italy. Thousands of homes and buildings were damaged or destroyed, and major infrastructure was affected. 296 people lost their lives, and more than 4,000 were displaced in the regions of Lazio, Marche, Umbria and Abruzzo.

Amatrice in the province of Rieti was one of the worst hit towns. Sitting almost a kilometre above sea level and surrounded by beautiful scenery, the town – which was devastated by the earthquake – is home to over 2,600 people.

IsraAID’s emergency response team arrived less than 36 hours after the earthquake hit, bringing search and rescue professionals to locate survivors and psychosocial support specialists to help mitigate the long-term traumatic impact of the earthquake on Amatrice’s population. Since then, IsraAID has been committed to supporting the long-term psychological recovery of Amatrice and the surrounding area.

In the coming months, IsraAID, in partnership with the Legacoop cooperative federation, will implement a training program to provide long-term, sustainable support to 30 volunteers, focusing on psychological support techniques and mechanisms to promote recovery.

This partnership is designed to greatly accelerate and sustain the needed support while strengthening the community’s ability to respond to future disasters. The training has been designed based on local needs, offering professional knowledge and practical tools through unique experiential methods.

This will be IsraAID’s third training for Legacoop volunteers of the Lazio region. The participants will be introduced to psychosocial support, trauma, PTSD-symptoms, psychosocial first aid, coping mechanisms, resilience promotion, secondary trauma, self-care, and tools for positive intervention with vulnerable communities.

Thank you for your support! More updates to follow …

While natural disasters leave physical signs of destruction that are visual and tangible, the psychological wounds can have long-lasting effects, reverberating long after the houses or civic structures are physically rebuilt. 

It’s been a year and a half since the earthquake struck the town of Amatrice and its surrounding areas. Most displaced people have already received temporary, but comfortable homes, and are ‘resettling in’. However, the psychosocial wounds are still open. 

When we met Sonia, owner of an agritourism business in Torrita (fraction of Amatrice), she said 'Amatrice e ancora nostra'( Amatrice is still ours). 'My house was the house of my father, the house of my grandfather, the home of our family generation, of our roots... and it has all disappeared. We have no more memories.' To cope with these difficult feelings, Sonia began make sculptures, trying to recapture the memories that were lost.

Sonia’s sculptures are now a symbol around Amatrice, representing the healing process that the community is going through, with great pain and bravery.

Stories like these truly present the strength of the Amatriciana people - stories of parents who lost their children; of a police officer who lost his whole team; people who share their stories of love for their land, for their families, for their community. Simple stories that emerge between the physical debris that remains evident around the city, and feelings that show the community’s resilience and hope for the future.

This was the first time, after a year and a half, that the IsraAID Italy team felt a tangible change in the community of Amatrice. Arriving and leaving Amatrice, the debris is usually the first thing that you see - not anymore. There is something new developing, something that you can only feel but it has a strong presence!

IsraAID is currently preparing for the second phase of capacity-building with Legacoop, to continue and strengthen the community of Amatrice and it’s surroundings.  

More updates to follow! Thank you for your support!