1980 Irpinia earthquake
Encyclopedia
The 1980 Irpinia earthquake took place in the Irpinia
region in Southern Italy on Sunday, November 23, 1980. Measuring 6.89 on the Richter Scale, the quake, centered on the village of Conza, killed 2,914 people, injured more than 10,000 and left 300,000 homeless. It is known in Italy as Terremoto dell'Irpinia (Irpinian earthquake).
were hardest hit. In Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi
, 300 died including 27 children in an orphanage and eighty percent of that town had been destroyed. One hundred were killed in Balvano
when a medieval church collapsed during Sunday services. The towns of Lioni
, Conza di Campania (near the epicenter), and Teora
were destroyed, and dozens of structures in Naples were levelled, including a 10-story apartment building. Damage was spread over more than 26,000 km², including Naples
and Salerno
.
billion, while American and some English-language sources after around 1970 will tend to use short-scale
billion, British sources before 1970 tended to use billion in the long-scale sense; milliard or "thousand million" is used to avoid confusion lire
on reconstruction, while other nations sent contributions. West Germany contributed 32 million United States dollar
s (USD) and the United States 70 million USD.
However, in the early nineties a major corruption scandal emerged of the billions of lire that actually disappeared from the earthquake reconstruction funds in the 1980s. Of the $40 billion (or 40 thousand million) spent on earthquake reconstruction, an estimated $20 billion (or 20 thousand million) went to create an entirely new social class of millionaires in the region, $6.4 billion (or 6,400 million) went to the Camorra
, whereas another $4 billion (or 4,000 million) went to politicians in bribes. Only the remaining $9.6 billion (or 9,600 million), a quarter of the total amount, was actually spent on people's needs.
Irpinia
Irpinia is a region of the Apennine Mountains around Avellino, a town in Campania, South Italy about 40 km east of Naples...
region in Southern Italy on Sunday, November 23, 1980. Measuring 6.89 on the Richter Scale, the quake, centered on the village of Conza, killed 2,914 people, injured more than 10,000 and left 300,000 homeless. It is known in Italy as Terremoto dell'Irpinia (Irpinian earthquake).
Event
The quake struck at 18:34 UTC. The first jolt was followed by 90 aftershocks. Towns in the province of AvellinoProvince of Avellino
The Province of Avellino is a province in the Campania region of Italy. The area is typified by many small towns and villages scattered across the province; in fact only two towns have a population over 20,000; its capital city Avellino and Ariano Irpino....
were hardest hit. In Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi
Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi
Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi is a town and comune in the province of Avellino in the Campania region of southern Italy.-Geography:Sitting on a hilltop near the Fredano river, the town is home to a cathedral and a Lombard Castle...
, 300 died including 27 children in an orphanage and eighty percent of that town had been destroyed. One hundred were killed in Balvano
Balvano
Balvano is a small city and a commune in the province of Potenza .The recent history of Balvano is connected to several catastrophes. In 1944, a steam train stalled in a nearby railway tunnel, suffocating 426 passengers. It was also one of the towns nearly destroyed by the 1980 Irpinia earthquake....
when a medieval church collapsed during Sunday services. The towns of Lioni
Lioni
Lioni is a town and comune in the province of Avellino, Campania, Italy. Its population was, in 2008, of 6,390 .-History:The town's name appears for the first time in a deed of gift dated 883, with which the Lombard prince Sicardo granted the abbess of S...
, Conza di Campania (near the epicenter), and Teora
Teora
Teora is a small town and comune in the province of Avellino, in the Campania region of southern Italy.-Geography:Teora is bordered by the towns of Caposele, Conza della Campania, Lioni and Morra De Sanctis.-History:...
were destroyed, and dozens of structures in Naples were levelled, including a 10-story apartment building. Damage was spread over more than 26,000 km², including Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
and Salerno
Salerno
Salerno is a city and comune in Campania and is the capital of the province of the same name. It is located on the Gulf of Salerno on the Tyrrhenian Sea....
.
Rebuilding
The Italian government spent 59,000 billion (or 59 thousand milliard)non-American sources will likely use the long-scaleLong and short scales
The long and short scales are two of several different large-number naming systems used throughout the world for integer powers of ten. Many countries, including most in continental Europe, use the long scale whereas most English-speaking countries use the short scale...
billion, while American and some English-language sources after around 1970 will tend to use short-scale
Long and short scales
The long and short scales are two of several different large-number naming systems used throughout the world for integer powers of ten. Many countries, including most in continental Europe, use the long scale whereas most English-speaking countries use the short scale...
billion, British sources before 1970 tended to use billion in the long-scale sense; milliard or "thousand million" is used to avoid confusion lire
Italian lira
The lira was the currency of Italy between 1861 and 2002. Between 1999 and 2002, the Italian lira was officially a “national subunit” of the euro...
on reconstruction, while other nations sent contributions. West Germany contributed 32 million United States dollar
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
s (USD) and the United States 70 million USD.
However, in the early nineties a major corruption scandal emerged of the billions of lire that actually disappeared from the earthquake reconstruction funds in the 1980s. Of the $40 billion (or 40 thousand million) spent on earthquake reconstruction, an estimated $20 billion (or 20 thousand million) went to create an entirely new social class of millionaires in the region, $6.4 billion (or 6,400 million) went to the Camorra
Camorra
The Camorra is a Mafia-type criminal organization, or secret society, originating in the region of Campania and its capital Naples in Italy. It is one of the oldest and largest criminal organizations in Italy, dating to the 18th century.-Background:...
, whereas another $4 billion (or 4,000 million) went to politicians in bribes. Only the remaining $9.6 billion (or 9,600 million), a quarter of the total amount, was actually spent on people's needs.