Pope Francis said yesterday that he wanted to visit some of the Italian villages devastated by this week’s earthquake, as survivors and rescue workers dug in for the long haul with colder weather approaching.
Francis said that the Catholic Church shared the “suffering” of the victims of the earthquake that has claimed the lives of almost 300 people and pledged: “As soon as possible, I hope to come and see you.”
The Argentine Pontiff told thousands of worshippers gathered for the Angelus prayer in Rome’s Saint Peter’s Square that he had a “spiritual closeness” to residents of the mountain villages in a remote area straddling the Umbria, Marche and Lazio regions.
Meanwhile, as hope faded of finding anyone else alive and the search for bodies nearly complete, rescue workers and survivors turned their attention to a bleak future as temperatures start to fall.
“We’re getting ready for winter. Given what’s happened in other quakes, we’re going to spend winter here,” said Emidio Chiappini from the devastated village of Sant’Angelo.
The government has pledged to support immediate reconstruction and Chiappini said he hoped authorities would send pre-fabricated housing to stave off the frost that will soon descend on the mountainous region.
“Basically, we know we’re going to be here for three or four months. That’s not official, but we have got the equipment for that,” said a volunteer for the civil protection agency who gave his name as Nicola.
Experts were expected to test school buildings today to see if they are safe for children to return to lessons.
“The lessons from Aquila in 2009 have not been learned,” fumed Adriana Cavaglia, a member of the national council of geologists as she surveyed the ruins in Sant’Angelo.
Some of the survivors in the camps of blue tents accommodating the homeless said that on top of everything else, they had to battle against boredom.
“Basically, things are OK. It’s just that we are doing nothing all day here. I’m used to working nearly 18 hours a day and now, there’s nothing to do,” said one survivor who gave his name as Massimo.
Another survivor, Atemio Scienzo, warned that endemic corruption in Italy could stymie reconstruction efforts.
“After the emergency comes the period of reconstruction and that’s the important bit. It has to happen quickly and the funds have to arrive,” said the craftsman. “If half of it gets lost en route, as often happens, there will be a problem.”


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