Just so you know, 17 people are confirmed dead and I know that, for the families of those who have died, it’s 17 too many. For a family member or close friend, even one is too much. However, context is important. I live in the ‘grey’ area of the map above and have yet to feel a single jiggle in my 3rd floor apartment. That said, friends as far apart as Milan and Venice have said they felt the quake and it’s aftershocks. I’ve heard about both quakes from concerned friends and family in the U.S. who’ve watched newscasts like this one on National television: note the title for this news segment “KILLER QUAKE SHOCKS ITALY”
Since this is in small towns and villages it will be hard to know how much DEATH AND DESTRUCTION this quake has wrought!
You’d think it were the Apocalypse. 17 people have died since the first one last week (which is terrible) but an average of 8 people per day die in traffic accidents in Texas* and, in that big one in Aquila in 2009, they lost almost 300**….sigh, context is everything and the news media distorts to fit their needs like a wet sweater.
My heartfelt condolences to the 17 families who have lost loved ones in these latest Italian earthquakes and to the likely 72 Texas families who have lost loved ones in traffic accidents over the same 9 days.
* Based on 2010 statistics from this government website: http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/departments/nrd-30/ncsa/STSI/48_TX/2010/48_TX_2010.htm
**http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/apr/28/pope-visits-earthquake-zoneShare this:
Bonnie McClellan-Broussard 