2009/04/12/opinion/earthquake-italy-locals-struggle. html

A Week After the Italy Earthquake, Locals are Trying to Persevere

by Kathleen Perry

Kathleen Perry is a London-based American journalist.

L'AQUILA, Italy— Luca Molinari stood in front of an old building —or what was left of it— and surveyed the damage that last week's earthquake had inflicted. He feared it would collapse soon.

"This building is hundreds of years old, and it may take just a week for it to fall down" he lamented.

Last week's earthquake occurred close to the city of L'Aquila, around 50 miles to the east of Rome. Officials say the death toll might have reached over 200.

The earthquake severely damaged or destroyed many homes and buildings in the city and in nearby towns and villages. Some of the damaged buildings have existed since the Middle Ages.

The view is filled with crumbling houses and cracked walls, while locals are picking up everything of value they have—be it furniture, jewelry, and photographs. Many people have lost their homes and, as a result, try to leave to other places or sleep inside their vehicles.

Luca is a young student who worked part-time as a waiter at a small restaurant. Now, he and some of his classmates volunteer to clean the rubble and help feed the newly-homeless.

"It's a tiring job, but then I see all the people who were left without a home and I feel this sense of duty" he says while cutting pieces of bread.

Locals have heard talk of possible government help to rebuild, but nobody seems to be sure if or how that might happen. There are voices of uncertainty while people queue for food brought by volunteers from Napoli.

Next to Luca, Feliciano Vargas is cooking pasta in a large pot, the aroma of freshly chopped basil permeating the area.

Feliciano is a young painter from Venice. He told me he had arrived two days after the earthquake looking for his brother, Lovino. His brother resides in Rome, but was visiting L'Aquila the day the earthquake struck. He spent almost an entire day in the city searching the rubble and asking people for his brother's whereabouts.

"I found him that night taking a nap inside his car. I was so relieved, I almost broke his window trying to wake him up!" he recalls fondly. He briefly pauses every now and then to taste the sauce and add more spices.

While Luca, Feliciano, and other volunteers keep cooking, Lovino Vargas is talking with other residents a few blocks away. Some people are having trouble leaving due to landslides in the roads.

Lovino looks tiredly at a damaged road and prepares himself to go out again. He has spent the past week driving people in and out, eating a quick meal with his brother, nursing a large bruise he got on the right side of his torso after debris fell on top of him, and having some shuteye whenever he can.

"After [the earthquake] hit, this woman, Anna, was asking for help. Turns out her mother lived in Onna and she had no way of going there" he says. He offered her a ride and Anna's mother was found safe and sound. The three returned to L'Aquila soon after, as Anna's house had resisted the disaster.

After returning to the city, other people came to him for aid —they had lost their homes and were trying to reach their relatives who lived nearby. Yesterday he drove two people to their relatives in Pescara, in the coast.

With thousands left homeless and living in temporary tents, the Italian government has recently begun a program for relocation. Some victims have been sent to hotels in nearby cities during the reconstruction period. However, many critics have pointed out that a considerable amount of modern buildings were damaged despite claims of them being earthquake-proof. The government has responded to the criticism by starting an investigation to find those responsible.

Despite how grim the near future seems to be, people are outside trying to help in whatever way they can. Those with their houses intact make room for the unfortunate ones, some group together to cook what they have, and others go to the ruins of a church to pray for those lost.

The sun has begun to set down. In the meantime, Luca, Feliciano, and Lovino sit down with other locals to eat pasta for dinner. Luca intends to keep helping until classes resume; Feliciano has decided to stay a few more weeks, his infectious smile lifting the spirits of the more despondent; Lovino, on the other hand, is driving three people to Rome tomorrow.

"After I'm done leaving everyone home, I'm picking up a friend at my house. He's from Spain and managed to get more food for the people over here." Lovino takes a long drag of a cigarette and gives a hopeful smile, "I know things have been hard, but we Italians are strong. We'll bounce back from this, I'm sure of it."

A version of this article appears in print on April 14, 2009, on Page A4 of the New York edition with the headline: After the Italy Earthquake. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe