The impacts of earthquakes and the increase of extreme meteorological events in central Italy are strong reasons for the Association Terra di Amatrice Onlus to contribute to the urgent needs of the affected population for easily transportable homes. Therefore, since December 2016, 30 mobile homes were purchased in successive phases from a company based in Turin.
The mobile homes are equipped with wheels, which are temporarily placed on the gardens in front of the members of the Association properties. The house units all have the necessary equipment for sustainable living.
The equipment includes complete electrical and hydraulic wiring, heat pumps, and connections for LPG cylinders. The Association Terra di Amatrice Onlus will continue to raise funds to purchase additional houses for families, particularly for individuals in immediate need, all while keeping in mind the reaction time of those provided by the State Institutions.
Subsequently after the delivery of the SAEs to the assignees, some homes owned by the association were also re-leased. These were reassigned to families who did not have a home nor were on the SAE list (homes in the category “A-E / F or B-E / F”)
Repositioning of homes
As we know, the State institutional organizations in charge of emergency management are building emergency housing modules (SAE) to the residents who have requested a temporary home.
We expect that in the near future, families who currently live in temporary mobile homes, provided by the Association Terra di Amatrice Onlus, will make these available to others. These will be entrusted to other families in need or used for a variety of purposes which respect current land use regulations.
In this regard, the Association has the idea to use a temporary mobile home, in an equipped area, to promote tourism on a daily basis or to create a transition point for mountain holidays.
This would precede the need to develop areas equipped for sports and restaurant services by the Municipality.
There is a strong attachment to the territory. Many of the families who have requested mobile homes from the Association have done everything possible to remain in their native land, even if all the commercial and cultural activities have been destroyed. The only economic sector that has been able to move forward, among all difficulties, are the animal breeders and farmers.
The importance of allowing the return of seasonal tourism to the area is an essential condition for economic recovery.
In fact, the return of the original families to their homeland in the Amatrice Valley has given a strong boost to the economy of the area. Prior to the earthquake, from mid-June to early September, the population multiplied by five times (quintupled). This generated a strong demand for food and other services, which became the driving force of the economy.
Unfortunately, the high number of deaths caused by the earthquake was due to the high concentration of tourists during the summer vacation period. April 30th, 2018 is the last day for the new use of homes classified as “A” or “B”, with buildings on the side in class “E” or “F”. With the delivery of the last emergency housing modules (SAE), there may be well-defined projects for camper stop areas in many communities. This would allow the shifting of the mobile homes into these new areas.
