Shelters and tents deployed to area devastated by earthquake in Italy

Published: 27 June, 2012

Beginning in the early hours of the 20th May, Emilia Romagna, one of Italy's most agriculturally productive areas was devastated by a series of earthquakes. Reaching up to 6.0 in magnitude, the quakes have caused significant damage to the region's cultural and residential areas, destroying churches, historic buildings and a large number of houses leaving a reported 14,000 people without homes.

In response to the earthquakes a number of disaster relief and emergency services have assembled in the region to provide critical aid and shelter to survivors. As part of the first response efforts Civil Protection, Red Cross and Military organisations have deployed Eurovinil (EV) inflatable tents for medical and rescue activities and to house the large number of people who have lost their homes.

EV shelters and systems are made by Survitec Group, global provider of safety and survival equipment. The shelters have been manufactured in Grosseto in Tuscany for 27 years. Commenting on the application of the tents, Survitec ‘sTechnical Director in Grosseto, Cesare Petrillo stated “The EV tents offer an ideal solution in response to a disaster such as the earthquakes in Emilia. Each tent ensures ease of use even in the most extreme circumstances through a number of emergency critical characteristics such as rapid and self inflation, a solid 4 arch construction and a high frequency welded material for maximum environmental resistance”.

The number of tents in Emilia has grown to over 1,000 and they are expected to remain in the affected area until the end of July depending on the circumstances in the region.

Speaking about Survitec’s role in first response situations, Giuseppe Spoliti, Managing Director said “Our main goal is to assist civil protection agencies in every way to ensure people affected in a disaster have the best possible support. This includes the manufacture and supply of a large range of inflatable tents and rapid deployment systems, through to the ongoing technical support once they are deployed”.

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