On 6 April 2009 an earthquake struck L’Aquila in central Italy, levelling the town centre. The earthquake caused damage to between 3,000 and 11,000 buildings in the medieval city of L'Aquila. Over 300 people died in the earthquake. Around 40,000 people who were made homeless by the earthquake found accommodation in tented camps and a further 10,000 were housed in hotels on the coast. The ancient “city of 99 churches” is still a “red zone”, even inaccessible to the residents themselves: ruins have still not been removed and rebuilding has not started. At the moment only the unsafe buildings have been secured. Governmental authorities should take the lead of the recovery period, but they don´t. It will take at least 10-15 years to recover the buildings of the Historical Centre; in the meantime all business forces will be transferred elsewhere, rebuilding their activities from scratch.


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