It was 7.34pm on Sunday 23 November 1980 when a 90-second tremor of the 10th degree on the Mercalli scale hit these areas, with its epicenter between the municipalities of Teora, Castelnuovo di Conza and Conza della Campania, affecting an area of 17 thousand square kilometres.
The numbers of the disaster were terrible: 280 thousand displaced people, 8,848 injured and, according to estimates, 2,914 deaths. According to the Office of the Extraordinary Commissioner, of the 679 municipalities belonging to the eight areas affected by the earthquake (Avellino, Benevento, Caserta, Matera, Naples, Potenza, Salerno and Foggia), 506 (74%) were damaged.
“There was not the immediate relief that should have occurred – said Sandro Pertini, then President of the Republic, two days later. Moans and cries of desperation from those buried alive still rose from the rubble”.
The relief efforts were in fact late and insufficient for various reasons and not only due to the difficulties in accessing several isolated places due to the collapse of roads and bridges. The one in Irpinia will go down in history as the most inadequate rescue machine there has ever been.
Why did the rescue take so long? Pertini’s historic speech
“Italians and Italians, I returned last night from the areas devastated by the terrible seismic catastrophe. I saw some shows that I will never forget. Entire towns razed to the ground, the desperation of the survivors (…) I arrived in those towns immediately after the news of the catastrophe reached me in Rome, I left last night. Well, 48 hours later, the necessary aid had still not arrived in those countries. It’s true, I was approached by the inhabitants of the earthquake areas who showed me their desperation and their pain, but also their anger. (…) What I was able to see is that there was not the immediate help that should have been there. Moans and cries of desperation from those buried alive still rose from the rubble. (…)
In 1970, laws regarding natural disasters were passed in Parliament. I now learn that the implementing regulations for these laws have not been implemented. And I wonder: if these immediate relief centers were established, why didn’t they work? Why, 48 hours later, has their presence not been felt in these devastated areas? (…)
What happened in Belice must not be repeated (…) where after 13 years the promised houses have still not been built. The earthquake victims still live in shacks: yet the necessary money was allocated then. The necessary sums were allocated. I wonder: where did this money go? Who speculated on this Belice misfortune? And if there is anyone who has speculated, I ask: is he in prison? (…) Because the greatest infamy, for me, is that of speculating on other people’s misfortunes. Therefore, for goodness’ sake, let us not repeat what happened in Belice, because it would be an affront not only to the victims of this seismic disaster, but it would be an offense that would touch the conscience of all Italians, of the entire nation and of my first All”.
And then the appeal addressed to the Italians:
“I want to address an appeal to you, Italian men and women, without rhetoric, an appeal that arises from my heart, from a man who has witnessed many tragedies, spectacles of pain and desperation in those countries that I will never forget. To all Italians: politics has nothing to do with this, human solidarity has to do with this, all Italians must mobilize to help these brothers affected by this new disaster. Because, believe me, the best way to remember the dead is to think about the living”.
He blames the slowness of the rescue efforts, the still inadequate Civil Protection, the chaos, the disorder and the completely impotent local authorities. The destruction of Irpinia represented, alasthe embryonic phase of what would later be other disasters, starting from L’Aquila: here, as in Campania, as in Emilia in 2012 or ad Amateur of 2016the clock has stopped and the wounds will remain open forever.
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