A slight vibration on the desk, then the chair starts to wobble. The students look at each other, look at the teachers, perplexed. No, it’s not the usual evacuation drill. The earthquake is real, and the fear is just as real. In a few seconds children and teenagers position themselves under the counter. Then, as indicated, they move to the collection points provided outside the school buildings. Safely.
These were moments of terror for many Palermo students, who found themselves fleeing from their classrooms in a few moments. Luckily there were no consequences but the fear was great. After the evacuation, many schools did not allow people to return to classrooms to retrieve backpacks and sweatshirts. Everyone go home, see you on Monday.
During the morning, numerous schools and buildings in the Palermo area were evacuated. In schools all afternoon activities have been suspended. Sports activities have also been suspended in some municipalities. Some public facilities in Palermo were also evacuated.
The earthquake swarm is still ongoing
After the most intense shock which, according to INGV, had a magnitude of 5.5 (12.19 pm), there were many others. In all, since 10 this morning, the INGV systems have recorded over 40, the last ones reported until a few minutes ago.
The earth continues to shake in the province of Palermo. The last strong shock was a few minutes ago, at 3.55pm with a magnitude of 4.6. And the Sicilian Civil Protection has invited us to keep our attention high. According to what was declared by the Regional Department, in fact, the tsunami alert was also triggered.
“Following the earthquake, the SiAM system issued an orange level tsunami alert (Advisory) for the exposed coastal areas. The General Director of the Department of Civil Protection of the Sicilian Region (DRPC), Eng. Salvo Cocina, has ordered an immediate state of alert and prompt operation for the municipalities involved and for the operational structures” we read on the official Facebook page.
In fact, the epicenter was located in the sea, about 100 km from the northern Sicilian coast.
What does orange alert mean?
Ingv explains it:
“The Orange alert level (Advisory) indicates that an earthquake with a magnitude greater than or equal to 5.5 has occurred, and that the expected effects on a specific stretch of coast due to a possible tsunami may be mild (the expected run-up is less than 1 metre). When the tsunami has these characteristics, there is a real danger for people who are near the coast, especially if in areas not high above sea level. At Orange alert (Advisory) corresponds to a smaller evacuation area than that foreseen for the Red alert (Watch). In any case, the Orange alert does not mean that you should not evacuate, but only that the area affected by the evacuation is smaller”.
The Municipality of Palermo has also recommended that citizens, and in particular those who frequent the coast, not to go out to sea.
What to do in the event of an earthquake: the self-protection rules of the Civil Protection
The regional civil protection reminded citizens what to do during the earthquake and immediately after:
