Italy | The most dangerous volcano in Europe is causing concern in the Naples area: “Many residents are afraid to sleep in their homes”

Campi Flegrei -volcano area in Naples, sleepless nights have been spent in recent weeks. Small earthquakes have repeatedly driven residents to the streets, and the 4.2-magnitude earthquake that occurred at the end of September was the strongest in 40 years. In September alone, there were more than 1,100 earthquakes in the region, and the earthquakes have continued in October.

Among other things, schools, railways and metro lines have had to be temporarily closed to assess possible damage.

Campi Flegrei is a 12-kilometer-wide caldera, or collapsed volcano, which last erupted in the 16th century. It is considered the most worrisome volcano in Europe, as the entire caldera area is very densely populated.

“Over the course of history, Campi Flegrei has been characterized by intermittent soil movement. Between 1982 and 1984, the ground rose in the center of the city of Pozzuoli by 1.85 meters, and a new pier had to be built for boats”, Director of the Vesuvius Volcano Observatory Mauro Di Vito tells STT by phone.

A new period of so-called bradyseismic movement began in 2006, after which the ground surface has risen by a maximum of 1.15 meters. Uplift causes the earth’s crust to crack and the earth to shake. In addition, gas rises to the earth’s surface, which originates from magma at a depth of up to 7-8 kilometers, says Di Vito.

The soil elevation and gas eruptions can be signs that the volcano is becoming active, according to Di Vito.

“At the moment, however, we have no evidence of that. The most important predictor of an impending eruption, magma rising upwards, is missing,” says Di Vito.

A possible volcanic eruption would not come as a surprise, as Campi Flegrei is one of the most closely monitored volcanoes in the world. The activity of the caldera is continuously measured, for example, with samples taken from gases and water rising from the soil and soil temperature measurements.

Since 2012, Tulivuori’s four-step alarm scale has been on the second, or yellow, level. Moving to the orange level would mean the start of an evacuation operation from, for example, nursing homes, hospitals and prisons, as well as actions related to the safeguarding of cultural treasures. A red level would mean that all residents of the area would have 72 hours to leave.

Campi Flegrein 500,000 inhabitants live in the worst danger zone, spread over several municipalities. With the latest earthquakes in Italy, concerns have been raised about the shortcomings of the evacuation plan for the region.

The last evacuation exercise was organized in 2019, la Repubblica newspaper says. In addition, there are structural problems in the roads used as escape routes, there are many houses built without permission in the area, and no map or list of buildings at risk of earthquakes has been prepared. The principals of the school in the 27th district sent a letter to the mayor of Naples in September, asking for better coordination with the civil defense and joint guidelines.

According to Di Vito, it is important to reduce the effects of soil movement, for example by improving the earthquake resistance of buildings and strengthening the residents’ ability to react.

“Unfortunately, we have to live with this phenomenon. The earthquakes will continue, because the soil will also continue to rise.”

However, the Italian government recently approved a bill according to which the infrastructure and emergency preparedness of the Campi Flegrei area will be supported with more than 52 million euros. The plan includes, among other things, updating evacuation plans, mapping the building stock at risk of earthquakes and an information campaign aimed at residents, schools and the media.

One Among the municipalities in the danger zone of Campi Flegrei is Bacoli with about 25,000 inhabitants. Its mayor Josi Gerardo Della Ragione according to the report, especially the earthquakes with a magnitude of more than 4.0 that have occurred in the area have caused local residents to worry, as decades have passed since the last uplift of the land.

“Many residents are afraid to sleep in their homes and send their children to school. However, the scientific community and especially the Vesuvius observatory keep us constantly informed about the rise and fall of the earth. These tremors also belong to the normal development of bradyseismic movement, which has been a characteristic feature of Campi Flegrei for millennia.”

As an example, Della Ragione cites the ancient Roman city of Baia, located off Bacoli, which sank beneath the waves over hundreds of years due to land subsidence. It is now an underwater archeological park where diving trips are conducted.

“Since this phenomenon is likely to continue for months, we have to learn to live with it.”

Della Ragione hopes that the municipality will get more resources that would help the locals adapt to the situation.

“We have four technical experts who are currently all checking the buildings for possible earthquake damage. Without additional forces, the progress of public construction projects will stop.”

Although there is no actual danger of a volcanic eruption, according to experts, keeping evacuation plans up to date with Della Ragione is useful for the residents’ peace of mind.

“For example, we have a road defined as an escape route that is three meters wide. In order for a possible evacuation to go smoothly, it should be widened to at least seven meters wide.”

Della Ragione says that housing sales in the Campi Flegrei area have collapsed in recent weeks. According to the mayor, unwarranted panic is in danger of damaging the region’s economy more than actual earthquakes.

“Fake news has been spread on social media pages, according to which the evacuation has already started, the lake is full of dead fish, or there is smoke and hot water on the roads. They incite fear, and we have filed criminal charges against them.”