From Colfiorito To L'Aquila Earthquake: Learning from the Past to Communicating the Risk of the Present

Abstract

Italy is a country at risk of impending earthquake in the near future. Very probably, as it has already happened in the 13 years between the last two important seismic events (Colfiorito 1997- L’Aquila 2009), there won’t be enough time to solve all the problems connected to seismic risk: first of all the corruption related to politics concerning buildings; the lack of the money necessary to strengthen the already existing ones, historical centres, monuments and the masterpieces of Art; the difficult relations of the Institutions with the traditional media (newspapers, radio and TV) and, at the same time, the new media (web); the difficulties for scientists to reach important results in the immediate future due to the lack of funding and, last but not least, to the conflicting relationships inside the scientific community itself. In this scenario, communication and education play a crucial role in minimizing the risk of the population. In the present work we reconsider the past with the intent of starting to trace a path for a future strategy of risk communication where everybody involved, included the population, should do his best in order to face the next emergency.