Abruzzo Assessment Final Report
Upon arriving in L'Aquila we were immediately impressed by the huge presence of Italian response personnel. Every other vehicle was filled with Italian Civil Protection or Red Cross workers. We couldn't get anywhere near the bulk of the damage for safety reasons. Even residents of L'Aquila aren't allowed back to their homes unescorted. A tour of the Civil Protection's head quarters on our second evening in Italy cemented our initial impression - managing the response was definitely not outside their ability.
What's more, the disaster did not seem to have overwhelmed the local communities either. Many of our volunteers know how difficult living conditions in displacement camps can be. Often the sense of defeat in the camps is palpable. In Abruzzo, many of the heavy duty tents rattled with music.
While we aren't trivialising the plight of the Italian survivors, the message we received from those we met in the camps was clear. "Thanks for coming, but we don't need you to do this for us." During one memorable visit to the small camp at Fossa one of the coordinators proudly showed us their carpentry efforts, their communal laundry room, and their spotless kitchen.
Very bluntly, he told us that he doesn't want international volunteers. He wants the residents of the region to direct their own recovery. And he's exactly right.
But this was in no way a wasted trip. Instead of running a deployment, we'll be keeping in touch with survivors and organisations who are planning to run community programmes and social projects and try to provide support in any way we can. Initial requests are for help with translating documents from Italian to French, Spanish, and Arabic. Other requests will be coming in for the next few weeks, and we'll keep you updated on what people need.
More generally, it was our first independent assessment of a disaster zone, and we learned volumes. We also spoke to dozens of other Italians who weren't affected by the earthquake about EDV, and they were excited about the possibilities of working with us in the future.
If you have any further questions, check out our full assessment report. If that doesn't answer your questions or if you're interested in helping out remotely, please email:
executive@europeandisastervolunteers.org
Thanks to everyone who has already expressed an interest and especially to Elena for her translation help.
