Abruzzo Earthquake in Aquila

I awoke this morning to hear of the devasting earthquake in Aquila, capital of the Abruzzo region. Aquila is about one hour away from our house in Civitaquana. About 10,000 homes have been damaged as a result of the tremor and the lives of many people have been affected by this terrible event. I feel powerless to do anything but my thoughts and prayers are with everybody involved in this natural disaster.

Italy is criss-crossed by two fault lines and has been prone to earthquakes in the past. In particular, there was a devasting one in 1980 in Naples.

My husband Karl woke up in the middle of the night to see our house shaking, furniture wobbling and it was a terrifying sight to behold. So far, after an inspection of the house and surrounding land, things seem to be ok but the fear is of other follow-up tremors. We have family and friends in the region and Karl is trying to contact to see if they need any help.

The Power of Prayers

I have to make a confession. Despite coming from an Italian background (both my parents are Italian, but I was born and grew up in Oxford), I am not as religious as I could be, but in the past few weeks, I have seen that prayers can be answered in time of need. I hope sincerely that the people affected by this disaster in Abruzzo will find the fortitude to overcome their difficulties and that the power of prayers will give some comfort to the grieving families.