Why have so many people died in the Italian earthquake?

[AngryAmish]

Are their building standards not the same as the US? 6.4 is not an extraordinarily strong earthquake.

(And I am asking this out of ignorence. It could have been a very long earthquake and that caused the damage. If anyone knows, just say.)

[hlthe2b]

1. I'm guessing lots of very old buildings....

Most villages, towns and cities have buildings that pre-date ANYTHING in the US... Speculation, on my part, of course.

[MountainLaurel]

2. Many of the buildings are hundreds of years old n/t

[Xithras]

3. There were no standards when these buildings were put up 200-700 years ago.

Modern Italian building codes are just as strict as the codes you see in California today, but Italy is an ancient country. In California, you're average building is under 50 years old. In Italy, there are towns where the age of the "new neighborhoods" are measured in centuries.

[AngryAmish]

4. I know about the oldness of the building stock

I kinda figured that an old building would have survived many earthquakes in the past and so a 6.4 would not have been a big deal.

[Marrah_G]

8. 6.4 has a different effect depending on location

The makeup of the earth beneath the quake has a huge deal to do with the effect the quake had on infrastructure.

[DeschutesRiver]

12. Exactly so

I've been there many times in the past and what would shock and surprise me is if there were no deaths.

It is part of what makes the winding streets and alleys really quaint and charming, with all these old beautiful buildings and homes stacked this way and that - I liked being in building that were put together hundreds of years ago and have managed to survive and thrive.

But it does make them also a death trap during a natural disaster like a fire or earthquake.

[sufrommich]

5. I think the most deaths came from a town built

in medieval times.Building standards are probably different in countries who have hundreds of years of history and architecture compared to us.

[bdamomma]

6. very old concrete buildings

sad very sad, reports can be read here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7984867.stm

[Marrah_G]

7. You are talking about an area where homes are VERY old.

Most were made far before there was such a thing as building regulations.

[lurky]

9. The Northridge quake in LA was a 6.7

and the Loma Prieta (World Series) quake in San Francisco was a 6.9. Both killed a significant number of people in modern cities. Once you get past 6.0, it seems like things get serious... :(

[Tesha]

21. Beyond 6.0, things also get kind of 'arbitrary',

with the results depending on exactly which direction(s)
things are moving and with what vector velocities and
durations compared to the structures' various resonant
frequencies.

In other words, your mileage may vary.

Tesha

[kestrel91316]

10. Construction standards were a little lax during the Renaissance.

Perhaps you were unaware that buildings were being built in Italy and all of Europe MANY CENTURIES before buildings were being built in the US.

[dugaresa]

11. having just returned from italy a few weeks ago, i can tell you

that their beautiful cities are the result of centuries of growth. some areas of the older towns feel like rabbit warrens and yes they have survived but eventually they succumb to destruction due to their age.

i was in one city where there was a single structure (church) that had been started in 400 AD and was consistently added on to until about the 1200's still standing but showing its age of course.
it was a treat to walk through the church and see the history unfold from one area to the next.

[underpants]

14. Report on CNN was that the entire town was destroyed 100 years ago by an earthquake

the reporter sounded rather distressed

Apparently it happened again. Not sure of exactly which city he was in.

[DeschutesRiver]

15. Hadn't read your post when I posted mine, but you summed it up perfectly

you do watch history unfold, and there is just a "feel" when you walk inside some of these buildings that time has endowed them with, that a new structure doesn't have.

Hope you had a great time! I haven't been back for over quite a few years now, and I would like to go again someday.

[dugaresa]

22. i had a great time in Italy

the people were very warm and friendly. I was there for business but visited Rome and Bologna.

The church I visited was St. Stephens Basilica. Inside it detailed how a Roman temple was on the grounds, then the Lombards built over it making a small church. Work continued for quite some time. As I recall there are 7 churches all linked together. Captivatingly beautiful with a medieval cloister. A much "younger" church in the area had paintings on the wall of knights in crusador dress and it was apparent that it was from that period.

I am sad for the victims most of all, and then sad for the history lost.

[Blue Diadem]

13. DU photo link:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5400353

I think depth may have something to do with it too, as well as the age of the structures.

[rucky]

16. I wonder what Rapture Ready has to say about this?

[TwilightGardener]

17. I read somewhere that the Richter scale numbers increase exponentially

as they go up the scale--so a 5 compared to a 6 compared to a 7 may not seem like much difference, but in fact are very different in terms of strength and potential for damage. That, and the duration of the quake, and the regional soil and rock, and the structures, are all big factors.

[Xenotime]

18. Decision from then: Build earthquake proof buildings or fight plague.

[Fresh_Start]

19. if you look at the pics, most are old masonry buildings

no rebar. They are the type of structures which fail first in earthquakes.
You are better off in a woodframe building than a non-reinforced masonry building

I think the town was described as medieval so that might give you some indication of the building code.

[Arugula Latte]

20. Another factor: "shakers" vs. "rollers"

I grew up in Cali. and as I recall the rolling types of earthquakes, where the land literally moved like gentle waves on water, were much better than the shaking ones that battered you about like a dog with a chew toy.

[Kat45]

23. If I read the map correctly, it's about 30 miles from where my family came from.

Though that was at the turn of the last century. (And I'm not very good at reading maps.)

[librechik]

24. hmm. I thought casualties were rather light, considering

the tens of thousands who are likely to perish in ancient locales.