Italian Town of Pozzuoli Grapples with Supervolcano Threat
Italian Town on Edge as Supervolcano Stirs: A Tale of Fear and Resilience
n the charming Italian town of Pozzuoli, situated on the picturesque Bay of Naples, the usual chatter in shops and coffee bars has taken a back seat. Conversations about soccer and politics have been eclipsed by a palpable fear that has gripped the hearts of the residents. What has triggered this collective unease? It’s not a political crisis or a sporting event but rather a geological one, as a supervolcano has awakened from its slumber, unleashing a swarm of earthquakes and a growing sense of trepidation.
For weeks now, the Italian government has been diligently strategizing for a possible mass evacuation. Tens of thousands of people reside in the vicinity of the vast volcanic expanse known as the Campi Flegrei, or Phlegraean Fields, a name harking back to the ancient Greek term for burning. This region is unique in its landscape, with sulfurous fumes regularly escaping from the earth’s surface, creating an otherworldly ambiance that has made it a magnet for tourists.
Local residents have grown accustomed to the distinctive smell of sulfur, the ethereal fumes, and the occasional trembling of the ground beneath their feet. In September alone, there were more than a thousand recorded earthquakes, the majority of them relatively minor. However, a seismic event with a magnitude of 4.2 on September 27, the most powerful tremor in over four decades, has stoked fears that what scientists describe as a “seismic crisis” may be unfolding for the first time since the early 1980s.
This substantial earthquake, despite not causing any significant structural damage, has generated a climate of anxiety among the residents. Annamaria Scardi, a mother of two teenagers, encapsulates this collective unease when she says, “Even those small ones (quakes) make us afraid. We are worried because we are supposed to run away. But where do we go? Where? This is the situation. We’re on edge.”
While experts assure that there is no immediate threat of a volcanic eruption, they are concerned about the geophysical activity causing ground uplift and descent, which could potentially destabilize buildings. The Italian government has been closely monitoring the situation, and it was a subject of discussion in a cabinet meeting earlier this month. The authorities have indicated that they would order an evacuation if civil protection officials deemed that buildings were at risk of collapsing due to the ongoing seismic activity.
This geological phenomenon, known as bradyseism, is a result of the filling and emptying of magma chambers deep below the Earth’s surface. During a previous crisis four decades ago, bradyseism persisted for several years, compelling the temporary evacuation of 40,000 people from Pozzuoli, a town renowned as the hometown of the legendary actress Sophia Loren.
Vincenzo Russo, a local resident, reflects the division that many families are experiencing during this precarious time. He shares, “My family is divided… I want to stay, but my wife and children are looking for a house in the Castel Volturno area,” referring to a town approximately 30 kilometers north of Pozzuoli. He adds, “When you sleep at night, the nightmare is always there. You forget the situation and you’re on the couch, and then the tremor is there with you. There are big ones and small ones. Yesterday, for example, we had two small tremors before lunch.”
Not all residents are equally perturbed, though. On a recent afternoon, a group of friends, including 78-year-old Angelo Prezzini, gathered in the courtyard of a social club for retirees, as they do nearly every day, to play cards. Prezzini, with a sense of stoic resolve, stated that he would defy any evacuation order. Joining in, 66-year-old Luigi Ilardi remarked, “We are used to it. I’ve been used to it since I was 13.”
As this developing story unfolds, the Italian town of Pozzuoli finds itself on edge, grappling with uncertainty, and confronting the age-old challenge of living in the shadow of nature’s unpredictable forces. The idyllic landscape, with its surreal beauty and sulfurous allure that draws tourists, now bears a weighty question mark – a reminder that, in this corner of the world, the earth beneath our feet is alive, and it can stir at any moment, demanding our attention and resilience. The resolute spirit of the residents, deeply intertwined with their historic and cultural ties to this land, continues to shine through, even in the face of geological turmoil.
By: M Z Hossain, Editor Sky Buzz Feed
