The images that arrived from Venezuela in June and from Colombia in recent weeks have brought back to the center of the debate a question that periodically crosses Europe: could an earthquake capable of causing thousands of victims and devastating entire cities happen here too?
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The experts’ answer is yes. Although the continent is not associated in the collective imagination with the great catastrophes of the Pacific Ring of Fire, some of its most populated regions are located in areas of high seismic activity. Greece, Italy, Romania, Albania, Croatia, and Spain have always lived with the risk of earthquakes and in recent decades have experienced events that caused thousands of deaths, profoundly changing the way governments, engineers, and civil protection approach prevention.
From Bucharest in 1977 to Irpinia in 1980, from Athens in 1999 to L’Aquila in 2009, Amatrice in 2016 and Lorca in 2011, every major earthquake has indeed left a legacy of investments in safety and improvements in emergency systems. Yet, despite progress, vulnerability has not disappeared.
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The challenge that today unites much of southern and eastern Europe no longer concerns so much the ability to monitor earthquakes or coordinate rescues. The problem is another: millions of buildings were constructed before the introduction of modern seismic regulations and continue to represent the main risk factor.
Italy, the paradox of an advanced but vulnerable country
Italy probably represents the most emblematic case in Europe. More than 40% of the national territory is classified as medium or high seismic hazard and about 20 million people live in areas exposed to significant earthquakes. The peninsula lies along the complex contact zone between the African and Eurasian plates and is crossed by a fault system that runs along the entire Apennine ridge. Since 1905, at least 15 major earthquakes have occurred.
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