Update 2.11pm - Adds Italian Embassy thanks

When the call came, John Gera and his team were ready.

For the past few years, Mr Gera has been training a team of search and rescue dogs under the auspices of SOS Malta, working through a range of scenarios backed by his 13 years of experience with the Civil Protection Department.

In principle, they were equipped to respond to a disaster within 12 hours. The 6.2-magnitude earthquake that struck Italy’s central Umbria region a few hours before dawn last Wednesday, leaving at least 292 dead and thousands homeless, was their first test.

The decision to join the recovery efforts was made almost instantly. With the support of Virtù Ferries, the team was on its way that same afternoon, driving through the night in two-hour shifts to reach the affected regions early on Thursday morning.

“The first thing that struck us was the devastation the earthquake had left behind,” Mr Gera told the Times of Malta yesterday, a day after returning to Malta at the end of the mission.

“There are whole villages that have been wiped out. Many of the roads and bridges were closed or heavily damaged.

“Residents were housed in tents by the Italian Civil Protection Department, but many had nothing left except what was in their hands. Many people had lost their families and their homes so there was a lot of anger and fear: when the second tremor hit on Friday, it was completely unexpected.”

Buildings we had seen just a day before, including a church and bell tower, were no longer there

Over the three days they were in the region, the team members and specially-trained rescue dogs carried out six searches in various locations. The dogs scaled collapsed buildings and dove into small crannies trying to pick up the scent of anyone – alive or dead – who might be buried beneath the rubble.

They also witnessed first-hand the toll the quake had taken on survivors in the region, from volunteers carrying toys for young children to residents of homes that were left standing opening their doors to complete strangers who had not been so lucky.

On their first day in Amatrice, where the most damage had been reported, the team registered with the local authorities to make their presence known and carried out a few searches at abandoned buildings in the vicinity, before making camp for the night by a lake about a kilometre from the town, having come prepared with their own tents and food to ensure self-sufficiency.

A second tremor hit early in the morning on Friday, as the team was making plans for its second day on the ground.

“We saw trees smashing into each other and the water of the lake moving about, and heard buildings in the distance collapsing,” Mr Gera said. “We arrived in the town about 20 minutes after the tremor, and buildings we had seen just a day before, including a church and bell tower, were no longer there.”

As the team arrived on site, fire brigades were working frantically to clear the area, and rescuers suggested using the Maltese dogs to search an area where they had some indication of people possibly buried under the rubble.

A search and rescue dog amid the rubble. Photo: SOS Malta

The dogs did their job, indicating a spot where five bodies were later recovered by the Italian authorities.

The Maltese team was soon moved out of Amatrice, along with most of the rescue workers, as the site was deemed too dangerous for them to remain – another team had been hospitalised earlier in the day after being injured by fallen debris – although they returned to the town briefly to confirm the location their dogs had indicated.

Mr Gera believes the greatest success of the mission was providing the team with on-the-ground experience of a crisis situation, increasing their preparedness in the eventuality that a similar disaster were to strike on the island.

“We have been training for some time, but it takes a test like this to see how someone will cope in a truly stressful situation. I’m satisfied that if something like this were to happen in our country, we’d be prepared,” he said.

“We knew the Italians would have the resources to handle the situation, but it was important for us to go. We cannot remain in our little corner and just hope we’ll be ready when something happens.”

Now back in Malta, the canine team plans to continue its work and training, while hoping for further investment to upgrade certain aspects of its operations.

“The Civil Protection Department is well-equipped but there is always the need for the support of the voluntary sector,” Mr Gera said, calling on the government to give greater attention to voluntary groups and to test their levels of preparedness.

Meanwhile, Mr Gera advised Maltese people wishing to help the victims of the earthquake in Italy to contribute to the fund set up by SOS, which remains in constant contact with the Maltese embassy in Rome to continue the work done by its team on the ground and determine how best to help those whose lives have been torn apart.

In a statement, the Embassy of Italy thanked the Maltese government, Curia, civil society organisations and businesses which had shown solidarity with earthquake victims. 

"The many spontaneous initiatives in favour of the suffering population confirm the deep friendship existing between Malta and Italy and represent concrete and effective gestures of affinity which are very much appreciated in these difficult circumstances," the Embassy said.