[CEUS-earthquake-hazards] Italian Geoscientists Indicted forManslaughter for Failing to Predict 2009 L'Aquila Earthquake

[Richard W. Howe]

A developer to whom I forward the emailed replied as follows:

 

                That is unbelievable.  If they charge them for not
predicting an earthquake; what will they do when there is a prediction that
does not come true?

 

Perhaps a good point to be made in responding to the charges.

 

Rick

 

Richard W. Howe, PE

 

R.W. Howe & Associates, PLC

PO Box 3250

Memphis, TN 38173-0250

901-488-9951

 

rwhowe at earthlink.net

 

  _____  

From: ceus-earthquake-hazards-bounces at geohazards.usgs.gov
[mailto:ceus-earthquake-hazards-bounces at geohazards.usgs.gov] On Behalf Of
Phyllis Steckel
Sent: Thursday, June 17, 2010 1:21 PM
To: CEUS ListServe
Subject: [CEUS-earthquake-hazards] Italian Geoscientists Indicted
forManslaughter for Failing to Predict 2009 L'Aquila Earthquake

 

Greetings, all.

 

Both the Association of Engineering Geologists (AEG) and various committees
within the Geological Society of America (GSA) are circulating this request.


 

It is for petition-support to Italian geoscientists who have been indicted
for manslaughter because they did not "predict" the 2009 L'Aquila
earthquake.

 

For your information and action.

 

Thanks.

 

Earthquake Insight LLC
Phyllis J. Steckel, RG
PO Box 2002
Washington, MO 63090
636-239-4013
psteckel at charter.net
<wlmailhtml:%7b6B0CDDAE-B443-49CF-ABFD-67ADF985A6BB%7dmid://00000206/!x-usc:
mailto:psteckel at charter.net> 

 

"Minimizing earthquake risk is a funny business.  The payoff may not come
for a long time - and then it will be in terms of what did not happen.."

 

********

 

Two weeks ago the L'Aquila Prosecutor's office indicted of manslaughter the
members of the National High Risk Committee that met in L'Aquila one week
before the Mw6.3 earthquake.  The charges are for failing to provide a short
term alarm to the population before the earthquake struck, killing more than
300 people.

 

The president of INGV, Enzo Boschi (member of the High Risk Committee), and
the director of the National Earthquake Center, Giulio Selvaggi (just
accompanying Boschi to the meeting as technical specialist), are among the
scientists in seismology and earthquake engineering now under investigation
together with some civil protection officials.

We think that the allegations against the scientists are completely
unfounded and we look for support on this from the international scientific
community working on earthquakes and in the Earth sciences in general.

We invite you to sign the letter addressed to the President of the Italian
Republic, published at the the web page www.mi.ingv.it/open_letter/
<wlmailhtml:%7b6B0CDDAE-B443-49CF-ABFD-67ADF985A6BB%7dmid://00000206/!x-usc:
http://www.mi.ingv.it/open_letter/>  We also would be glad if you could
extend this invitation to other seismologists that can possibly share our
initiative.

We hope that by this action we can increase the awareness of people on
earthquake risk reduction through education, preparedness, and a long term
program of building  reinforcement.

Thank you in advance for your support.

Daniela Pantosti
Alberto Michelini
Alessandro Amato
Massimo Cocco
Ingrid Hunstad
Warner Marzocchi
Claudio Chiarabba
Massimiliano Stucchi
-- 
Daniela Pantosti
Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia
Via Vigna Murata 605 - 00143 ROMA
daniela.pantosti at ingv.it
<wlmailhtml:%7b6B0CDDAE-B443-49CF-ABFD-67ADF985A6BB%7dmid://00000206/!x-usc:
mailto:daniela.pantosti at ingv.it> 
+39 0651860483              

+39 0651860483

+39 3357927038
fax +39 0651860507

 

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