Experts Rush to Save Art in Quake Zone

Group met six days before L'Aquila quake, but raised no alarm

(USER SUBMITTED) - Predicting earthquakes is shaky business at best, but that detail isn't stopping Italian officials from prosecuting a group of prominent scientists over their failure to do exactly that. Six scientists and one government official face charges of manslaughter for allegedly failing to provide adequate warning of imminent disaster to locals after the region was struck by more than 400 low-magnitude tremors in the months preceding a major quake. The group of experts met in 2009 to analyze the risk posed by the seismic activity, but didn't find cause to raise alarm. Six days later, a major quake devastated the central Italian city of L'Aquila and killed 309 people, reports the AFP . More»

(NEWSER) - Italy's decision to shift the G8 summit to the quake-damaged city of L'Aquila has raised major safety fears as aftershocks continue to rattle the region, reports the Washington Post. A 4.1 magnitude temblor hit the area Friday, with the epicenter just half a mile from where world leaders will be meeting today, prompting Italian officials to acknowledge that they have prepared evacuation plans. More»

(NEWSER) - World leaders have begun arriving in Italy for the G8 summit, which at the last minute Silvio Berlusconi relocated to L'Aquila—the devastated town where 300 died in a massive earthquake. While many praised the Italians for quickly rehousing the victims, rebuilding has been stalled and 15,000 people are still living in tents. "The city's situation is frozen," one man in L'Aquila told the Independent. More»

Berlusconi wants world leaders to meet in L'Aquila in July

(NEWSER) - Silvio Berlusconi pledged today to move this summer's G8 summit to L'Aquila, where an earthquake killed 296 people and destroyed the homes of 65,000, Reuters reports. The meeting is set to take place on a small island off Sardinia, but the Italian PM said he would rather see the money for the summit help rebuild the destroyed region. "What seat would be more appropriate than a land wounded by the earthquake?" Berlusconi said. More»

Ad-hoc recovery is like post-Katrina's FEMA: experts

(NEWSER) - At the heart of Italy's quake-struck L'Aquila was its namesake university and the 27,500 students the local bars, shops, and hostels relied on for customers. With many fleeing the crippled university and town that will take years to renovate, local shop owners wonder how they'll survive. “L’Aquila is finished,” a pub owner tell the AP. “The economy was based on the students.” More»