Italy is stronger than any
earthquake and a quake decree must be passed as soon as possible
to free up resources to repair the damage from two strong quakes
Wednesday night as well as the August 24 trembler that killed
almost 300 people, Premier Matteo Renzi said on visiting the
quake zone Thursday.
Renzi said on visiting this Marche town hit by two quakes
Wednesday night that "the earthquake is putting us to a stiff
test but Italy is there, it doesn't leave its citizens on their
own, we are strong and we'll make it".
Renzi said that "we urge parliament, in the full respect
for (respective) roles, to act as quickly as possible to approve
the decree on the earthquake because (the decree) has the
resources and tools to go to work immediately".
Renzi said that "a structural intervention is needed for
the zones hit by the earthquake".
He said "we must explain this to Italy, to Europe, to
everyone".
Renzi added: "Just as we are doing in Amatrice (the village
most affected by the August 24 quake, Ed.), we mustn't let the
focus on these places fade and the attention of politics fall".
Renzi said the government has allocated 40 million euros to
areas stricken by last night's earthquakes.
"Of course, that won't be enough," he said during a visit
to the areas where thousands were left homeless overnight.
"They are in addition to the 50 million we already
earmarked... We will try to activate the same virtuous mechanism
we enacted for (the villages of) Accumoli and Arquata (after the
August 24 quake)".
Tents are not the solution for those left homeless last
night, Renzi said on his visit to the stricken town.
"It took us some time to convince everybody to leave the
tents (after the August 24 quake)," Renzi said. It's not
feasible for people to spend the winter in tents so alternative
must be found, such as hotels or wooden temporary homes, he
said.
Renzi brought President Sergio Mattarella's "embrace" to
the quake-hit population.
He told residents of this town, which was severely damaged,
that "Italy won't stop, all our country is at your side so as
not to be stopped".
He said he had spoken to Mattarella and "he embraces you".
Camerino's historic university must "restart as soon as
possible", Renzi said on his visit.
He said it was "fundamental" that the university, "one of
the oldest in the world", gets going again immediately."
Renzi said "even if we are bowed, we can't give up".
He said the university would reopen according to
"procedures we have already established".
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