4.3 earthquake exercise at the Campi Flegrei with the collapse of the Baia pier, sinkholes and injuries

Collapse of Bay pier, sinkhole in the street in via Lucullo in Bacoli and buildings cleared with injured and disabled people simulated in the first Civil Protection exercise for the bradyseism emergency at the Campi Flegrei, which began this morning, Monday 22 April 2024, which simulated risk scenarios 1 and 2 of the Expeditionary Plan. The first exercise for command posts has been underway since 8 am. Some actions of the simulation involve the physical presence of the technicians and volunteers of the Civil Protection, the Local Police and the Law Enforcement agencies in the municipalities of Pozzuoli, Bacoli and Naples. There is therefore no real emergency underway, it is worth reiterating. These are just technical tests.

Fake collapses and sinkholes in the streets of Pozzuoli and Bacoli

The exercises, which also include the simulated evacuation of four schools in Naples, Pozzuoli and Bacoli, saw the joint intervention of Civil Protection, firefighters, law enforcement and volunteers and 118 in different areas of the Campi Flegrei.

In Baia, the collapse of the pier was simulated after a seismic swarm with a stronger shock of magnitude 4.3, epicenter in via Pisciarelli alla Solfatara, – similar to those recorded between September and October 2023. The team’s ‘contact’ had begun as early as 9am with a shock warning of 2.7 degrees. In Pozzuoli, a road disaster was simulated in Via Vecchia San Gennaro, with rubble falling in Via Rosini. In Naples, the damage assessment at the Madonna Assunta School was simulated. In Bacoli there was a trial of clearing three buildings for checks, involving 26 families. In Naples damage and cracks in the road surface via Cinthia. Rubble fell in the Santa Maria desolata church in Bagnoli.

The fake seismic swarm with Solfatara epicenter recorded a maximum magnitude of 4.3, with the strongest shock at 10.13 am, and there was numerous damage – all fake, it should be noted – to schools, roads and infrastructure. There were injuries inside homes, including a disabled person who was evacuated due to illness. Firefighters involved in the exercise, 118, local COCs activated. Technical teams are on site for structural checks of the buildings.

Major problems in video connections

According to what emerged at the summit, as reported by Italo Giulivo, director of the regional Civil Protection, the major critical issues that have emerged and have already been resolved, but which will be improved in the next simulations, concern the video connection between the command points, in particular between the operations center and the municipalities, and the involvement of health workers for the evacuation of disabled people. For communication with citizens, each Municipality has Apps for its communication system. In particular the “Mayors in contact 2.0” App. it-Alert is not activated.