Earthquakes devastate central Italy.
A series of four strong earthquakes that triggered devastating avalanches affected Italy this week. Italy’s central Abruzzo region experienced its greatest snow fall within the last fifty years. The head of Italy’s Civil Protection Authority, Fabrizio Curcio, says that authorities are confronting two exceptional events that alone would have created great difficulty. With regards to the heavy snowfall, Mr Curcio said: ‘We try to tell people to stay in their own homes, if they are secure, obviously. And in the areas of quakes, people should leave their homes. Putting together these two elements is extremely complicated.’
This lethal combination of heavy snow and earthquakes has tragically affected a ski resort in the village of Farindola where the Rigopiano Hotel was directly hit by an avalanche causing it to move by ten metres. Many of the hotel guests were trapped in the hotel having to rely on mobile phones to contact the emergency services due to the hotel’s phone lines not working. Mountain rescue teams, numerous fireman, ambulances and local police are involved in the rescue mission and dealing with blizzard conditions on skis and by helicopter through the huge snow drifts. Mountain emergency crews have struggled to access the resort and used cross country skis to navigate the extreme conditions in a bid to rescue and recover the hotel guests.
The Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni’s priority is to reach all affected towns and villages. Mr Gentiloni said: ‘I ask everyone if possible to multiply their efforts. I ask politicians to show sobriety respecting the difficulty of the situation and the commitment of civil and military crews who are responding.’
Véronique’s Verdict
Natural disasters devastate countries and communities and our thoughts are with the victims and their families.
It seemed appropriate to draw one card for Italy.
The Six of Hearts
This represents a nostalgic journey back to childhood when the world was new and we felt the beauty of nature. Love was in abundance, friends were non-critical and innocence prevailed. Days could be spent in joyful play and time moved more slowly allowing all things to be savoured. This card asks us to allow ourselves the opportunity to return to a special time and place, seeing and hearing as a child would. The memories and nostalgia will allow us to leave the present and lose ourselves in the past and into a time when our mother’s and those who cared for us knew all the right things to say allowing us to heal.
There are no words, only prayers. Light a candle, say a prayer.
Diana-Julie is an international life coach and spiritual counselor. She has worked with numerous people globally in their quest for personal empowerment and manifestation of dreams. A Reiki Master and natural healer, her personal passions of writing and spirituality serve to assist in removing obstacles for those seeking her guidance.