The Friuli earthquake 49 years later, an example of resilience
The quake had arrived, magnitude 6.5 on the Richter scale, at 9 p.m. on 6 May 1976 - Reconstruction and the birth of the Civil Defence
3' min read
3' min read
Forty-nine years have passed since the earthquake - called Orcolat, which derives from the Friulian orcul, 'ogre', the monstrous being that popular tradition indicates as the cause of earthquakes in Friuli and which, since 1976, has become synonymous with the earthquake - that marked the history of Friuli and beyond. The tremor arrived, magnitude 6.5 on the Richter scale, at 9 p.m. on 6 May 1976, with further tremors on 11 and 15 September: the fifth worst seismic event to hit Italy in the 20th century. Today, memories go back to the destruction that followed, but also to reconstruction as a model of efficiency and resilience.
First the factories
.In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, 30,000 employees were out of work due to the damage suffered by the companies, but within a few months they were reabsorbed into the production cycle, so much so that employment in the industrial sector increased significantly between 1978 and 1979. 'Factories first', was the choice made by the State and the Region to intervene primarily in favour of industrial and craft activities in the areas hit by the earthquake. This made it possible to recover production potential in a very short time, restoring confidence and employment prospects to the population. At Fantoni in Osoppo, on 7 May, workers appeared in front of the gates of the destroyed furniture factory to remove the rubble and start rebuilding the warehouses.
The memory
."The earthquake of 6 May 1976 was a dramatic moment for Friuli, in which almost 1,000 people lost their lives and entire villages were destroyed. Remembering it 49 years later means first and foremost remembering the victims and those who lost their loved ones," wrote Massimo Moretuzzo, leader of the Patto per l'Autonomia-Civica Fvg group, in a note on the anniversary of the earthquake that struck Friuli. "The memory of the earthquake in Friuli," Moretuzzo continues, "also gives us back the extraordinary example of the exercise of autonomy at the service of the community of our land and the activism of the Friulian women and men: democratic participation in decisions, forms of self-management, a sense of belonging, determination characterised the post-earthquake reconstruction. An example for today'.
"Today we remember and honour the strength and unity that moved the communities of Friuli 49 years ago following the earthquake that struck the heart of Friuli. Those values, which guided the actions of citizens and administrators, remain today an example to follow, both in the strength to get back on their feet and in the spirit of cohesion and solidarity that is still distinguishing our regional community today,' the regional councillors of the Democratic Party said in a note on the occasion of the commemoration of the 49th anniversary of the earthquake that struck Friuli on 6 May 1976.
'That tragedy marks a rebirth that will be a symbol of solidarity and redemption for centuries to come,' regional councillor Furio Honsell (Open Left Fvg) emphasised in a note.
