The international earthquake simulation exercise called EU Terex 2010 (Tuscany Earthquake Relief Exercise) kicked off at dawn this morning in Fornaci di Barga with a RAI television troupe filming in the rubble of the school demolished earlier this week (article here) Two interviews with members of the emergency services and the Mayor of Barga Marco Bonini went out live on national TV for the RAI 3 program “Buongiorno regione”. The centre of attention then moved to local schools where plans were underway for mass evacuation later on this morning.
The scenario envisaged is that of a simulated earthquake in Garfagnana -- in the area around Piazza Serchio with simulated damage in and around Barga. The organisers of EU Terex 2010 are planning on simulating damage and response by emergency services to the same kind of earthquake which struck Garfagnana on the 6th -7th September in 1920 and caused 171 deaths. The scenario this November will be of an earthquake registering 10 on the Mercalli scale with between 1000 to 7,000 victims and 4o,000 to 2oo,000 houses collapsed and roads blocked not just in the provinces of Lucca and Massa, but also in neighbouring areas.
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7.30 AM Fornaci di Barga
The purpose of the exercise is to enhance the effectiveness in response to the disaster by testing models of intervention in order to reduce time to deployment of SAR teams in Europe, and accelerate decision-making at central and local level and at European level.
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11 AM Barga
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4 PM Fornaci di Barga
As far the province of Lucca is concerned there will be three “working areas” -- three zones where there will be simulated search and recovery of survivors. EU Terex 2010 has pinpointed and will be using three schools in Garfagnana for these “working areas”. All three buildings, in Sillano, Camporgiano and Fornaci di Barga have already been earmarked for demolition as recent tests have shown that they were unsafe.
This morning the school in Fornaci di Barga was demolished by a controlled explosion using high explosives dropping the roof to the floor.
The project now moves forward to the next stage later on this month with the Rescue Services using the cellar below the demolished school in which volunteers will be hidden during the simulated earthquake allowing emergency services the possibility of practising their rescue techniques.
Participants in the Core Group with experts and modules will be France, Slovenia, Croatia, Austria and the Russian Federation plus there will be observers from each of the remaining 27 Member States.
The simulation exercises organised at Community level are designed primarily as field tests aiming at establishing a common understanding of co-operation in civil protection assistance interventions and to accelerate response in major emergencies. These exercises provide a learning opportunity for all actors involved in operations under the Mechanism and enhance operational co-operation between them. Contingency planning, decision-making procedures, provision of information to the public and the media can also be tested and rehearsed during these events, so as to be better prepared for similar real-life situations. Moreover, exercises can help supervisors identify further training needs for their staff involved in operations, while lessons-learnt workshops organised in parallel can serve as a forum to identify operational gaps to be improved. -- EU Terex 2010
Click on the link below to hear Pietro Onesti talking about EU Terex 2010 (in Italiano)