The Civil Protection Department is to hold an earthquake simulation exercise in Gozo next week to test its preparedness in case of such a natural disaster.

Destructive earthquakes in Malta are rare but not unknown.

One of the earthquakes that caused significant damage rocked Malta on January 11, 1693, demolishing several buildings, including sections of the former cathedral in Mdina. The last tremor to cause some damage in Malta was in 1923.

Malta has also been affected by nearby volcanic activity. Earthquakes stemming from Mt Etna, for example, have caused tsunami waves in Malta, notably Msida and Xlendi. 

The simulation exercise will be held in conjunction with rescuers from Sicily. The Malta Civil Protection Department has long been concerned that should an earthquake strike at Malta, the whole country would be impacted and resources could not, therefore, be deployed from unaffected areas but would need to come from abroad. 

Civil Protection Director John Rizzo said Simit, as the exercise is called, is a project aimed at developing an integrated civil protection network between Malta and Sicily that targets the forecast, prevention and mitigation aspects as well as planning and management of emergencies that emerge from those risks.

The exercise will be held between this Sunday and September 6.

The Civil Protection Department will simulate a scenario where it is overwhelmed by requests for help and will seek assistance from the Sicilian authorities,.

The exercise will simulate an earthquake in the central Mediterranean south-west of Malta at 7.6 on the Richter scale lasting 20 seconds.  Such an earthquake would be severely felt throughout Malta but especially in Gozo. Much of Malta's critical infrastructure would be damaged.

The exercise will test response including communications, rescue, humanitarian assistance, evacuation and care.

Mr Rizzo said this would probably be the largest simulation Maltese authorities had ever carried out. Some 300 people would be involved, including personnel from the CPD, police and armed forces, as well as several NGOs.

Some 100 people, simulating homeless civilians, will be evacuated from Xewkija Square to Għajn Tuffieħa, where they will be housed in a makeshift refugee camp for the duration of the simulation.

The exercise will be centred around Qortin quarry, which will simulate a heavily-damaged residential area.

The Gozo Heliport will serve as the base of operations for the Sicilian contingent, which will be made up of about 60 people.

A number of unrelated training exercises will also be carried out in Malta at the same time, including night-time cliff searches, a simulated partial collapse at Pender Place, a tank fire at the Gasco site, and a partial collapse of the National Flood Relief Project Tunnels.

IMPACT OF A MEDIUM EARTHQUAKE

Times of Malta had reported in 2009 that a tremor with a magnitude of 5.5 on the Richter Scale would damage five per cent of buildings, and the destruction would double in an earthquake measuring six according to Frederick Ellul, a structural engineer with a doctorate in earthquake engineering.

While the risks of an earthquake in Malta are small Dr Ellul had insisted that this was not sufficient reason to turn a blind eye to the potential of disaster as buildings remained unprotected against seismic activity.  

EARTHQUAKE DAMAGE IN MALTA AND GOZO

December 10, 1542: Some one-floor dwellings collapsed.
January 11, 1693: The most damaging earthquake known to date. Mdina cathedral suffered partial collapse and many buildings in the old city were seriously damaged. Reports say that all houses in Valletta needed repair, and some churches collapsed. Inhabitants spent nights outside their homes.
February 20, 1743: Several churches damaged; many sections of hills in Gozo crumbled.
October 12, 1856: Almost all houses in Valletta, and many houses in other villages and Gozo sustained serious cracks to their walls. Many church domes were damaged. References to collapse of a chapel on Filfla.
August 27, 1886: The Court of Justice in Valletta, some churches and many buildings are damaged.
September 30, 1911: Many houses suffer significant damage. Several rural constructions destroyed. Major cracks appear in domes and steeples of several churches as well as the walls of several public buildings in Victoria. Some landslides reported. In Gozo, everybody abandons their homes.
September 18, 1923: Cracks in church domes and walls of several buildings. Majority of people rush onto the streets.
 

 

 

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