Edited by CA
Properties not higher than two floors, with no protruding parts, binding of beams and floors to the walls
These are some of the earthquake proof regulations and preventative measures set up by the Bourbon government after the catastrophic earthquake in Calabria that began on 5th February 1783. One of the longest and most disastrous earthquake sequences ever in Italy, if not the worst, it lasted about three years and caused more than 30,000 casualties.
These regulations by the Bourbon government, explain Meletti and Bernardini, were totally new, rules and urban plans aimed at the reduction of seismic risk. The work of the ‘task force’ of experts that the Bourbon government set up was to find safe and effective building solutions. These laid the foundations for the National Research Council -CNR- and are the first known seismic regulations in Europe
These are the words of Philip Bernardini of the Bologna section of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) and Carlo Meletti of Pisa section of the INGV who have studied seismic history and the regulations carried out by the Bourbons. This was a tragic and catastrophic event that also saw a tsunami strike off the coast of Calabria and Sicily.
