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N0KFQ > TODAY 28.12.10 20:22l 62 Lines 2818 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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Subj: Today in History - Dec 28
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Sent: 101228/1737Z @:N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA #:25239 [Branson] FBB7.00i $:25239_N
From: N0KFQ@N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA
To : TODAY@WW
Dec 28, 1908:
Earthquake rocks Sicily
An earthquake in Sicily kills over 100,000 people and destroys
several towns on this day in 1908. The 7.5-magnitude tremor off
the coast of the large island was also responsible for deaths on
the Italian mainland.
Sicily is situated near the spot where the European and African
continental plates collide. The island endured a horrible
earthquake in 1783 in which an estimated 30,000 people died, and
in the 125 years following, there were another 20 major
earthquakes. None of these subsequent quakes were particularly
deadly, though, and the population of Sicily grew to about 3.8
million people by 1900. One hundred and fifty-eight thousand of
these people resided in Messina, a port city just across a strait
from Reggio on the Italian mainland.
On the night of December 27, the city's hotels were full of
guests in town to see a performance of the opera Aida. At 5:21
the following morning, a large tremor, centered only five miles
deep and just off the coast, suddenly shook the city for a full
35 seconds. An eight-foot tsunami crashed about 100 yards inland,
but most of the deaths in Messina were a result of buildings
collapsing. A military barracks gave way, killing nearly everyone
inside; in total, about one of ever three residents perished. All
electricity, gas, water and sewage lines were destroyed.
Eighty-seven of the 91 churches in Messina were demolished. The
prison was also destroyed and escapees reportedly pillaged and
looted while would-be rescuers attempted to pull out survivors
from beneath a million tons of rubble and debris. The last
survivors--two children--were pulled out a remarkable 18 days
after the quake.
There was also widespread destruction and death on other parts of
the island, bringing the overall death toll to 120,000. In
Reggio, a 15-foot deadly tsunami came ashore. Two hours later,
the tsunami hit Malta. Still, Messina was by the far the worst
hit. Most of its buildings were not well built, using rounded
stones, weak mortar and unsupported cross beams. To make matters
worse, it took a week for the Italian government to respond and
it wasn't until January 9 that martial law and some sense of
security was established. Foreign military ships proved to be
invaluable, transporting the thousands of injured to hospitals in
Naples and Rome. Forty-three governments ended up providing
relief and the Red Cross contributed $1 million in aid.
A far more rigorous building code was established in Sicily
following this earthquake but it took a very long time for the
island to rebound. Fifty years later, there were still 10,000
people living in temporary housing established in the aftermath
of the quake.
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