Reportage in the heart of Amatrice with the 6 ° Regio Genio Pionieri

(To Lia Pasqualina Stani)
15/02/17

"Make our heart firm, clear our mind, secure our hands": this is how the begetter's prayer begins, or rather, of the Italian Army's engineers. With their hands they dug into the rubble to recover the survivors. With their hearts they hoped that life in those moments could win over death. With their mind, day after day, they are starting to redesign some of what the earthquake destroyed.

With the operation Sabina, the men and women of the 6 ° regiment Genius Pioneers of Rome, since the early hours of the earthquake, they have been busy, coordinating with other rescuers, in the rescue operations of the populations affected by the earthquake that affected central Italy. The pioneers constitute a reserve of specialization of the Italian Army for the versatility of uses and capacity, for the variety of vehicles used and the equipment supplied. They are the first to arrive on site in the event of an emergency: they take care of the "fortification" work, especially for earthworks, roads, leveling, bridges, roads and more.

The 6 ° regiment Genius Pioneers is unique: this department of the Italian Army is based in Rome (Cecchignola) at the barracks "F. Bazzani ". It is powered by voluntary personnel in fixed stops and by permanent staff.

All Army departments are managed by the Grouping by Emergency Earthquake, located at the NBC Inter-force School of Rieti, under the command of Brigadier General Sergio Santamaria. An operating room with the task of constantly coordinating with the prefectures and the civil protection offices of Rieti and Ascoli Piceno.

In the early hours the units of the Genius were divided into assets for the removal of debris, even manually, since the work of others and their work depended on the lives of other people. In other areas due to the limited space, after the victims or survivors' recovery, mini excavators and mini-loaders were used to move and recover debris and debris.

The first few days worked non-stop. Once the emergency technical assistance phase has been completed, aimed mainly at rescuing people and recovering bodies, in subsequent phases the Army's device is constantly increased with other soldiers and other assets. Soldiers are employed in support of the population and rescuers for the distribution of hot meals, supplies and transport. Others accompany people in what remains of their homes, hoping to recover goods and values ​​and looking for some memories.

Rescue operations were hampered by road breaks due to collapses and landslides: the intervention of the 6 regiment Genius Pioneers it was essential for the restoration of the road network to Amatrice to allow the continuation of relief and the inflow of supplies. At the moment the pioneers, after having restored the roads, are busy with their specialized structures in the primary urbanization activities, despite heavy snowfalls, continue to work in the areas destined for the SAE (Emergency Housing Solutions). To deliver the "houses" already assigned as soon as possible.

I wanted to see their work closely. Amatrice is a small town. Meeting the officer of the Army assigned to the Public Information on the road that leads to the city center, in front of the only bar where the smiles among the people, sipping a good coffee, do not spare. Immediately after the greetings we are sent to the beginning of the "red zone". The area is manned.

We do not pass unless accompanied and if not after identification. A small stretch of road again: the look on Amatrice was violent. I am at the beginning of Corso Umberto I, in front of it there is the remains of the church of Sant'Agostino, an 18th century Romanesque - Gothic building in sandstone. Only his portal remained standing.

Not far from there is the miniature Park, which is no longer accessible: a tourist-environmental itinerary that reconstructs the treasures of the Gran Sasso National Park and the Laga mountains.

In the distance you can see the Civic Tower, the symbol of the city of Amatrice that divides in half Corso Umberto I, the main street of the city.

In front of the church of Sant'Agostino there is the supermarket in the central square of the village. From the cameras inside it, the images that testify to the power of the earthquake that razed Amatrice to the 3.36 of the last 24 in August have been recovered. The supermarket, renovated a few months before, has imploded.

A stomach cramp: the devastation is revealed in my eyes. Rubble everywhere, the historic center no longer exists. The structures collapsed. Crumbling houses that have crushed the existence of many Amatricians. It is difficult to distinguish what is under those ruins.

The historic center is forbidden these days, also due to the adverse weather conditions: there are still some houses unsafe. A continuous coming and going of cars and special vehicles: both fire safety activities are underway, as well as demolition, removal and collection debris by Army men who select them by type of material and they transport them to the municipality of Posta for further processing and possible re-use.

As we leave the beginning of the "red zone" the demolition of the Carabinieri barracks of Amatrice is still under way.

Amatrice in the first moments after the earthquake remained isolated: the bridge "Three Eyes" was unsafe, entry to the country was only possible on foot: has slowed the rescue and left the councils without assistance for several hours. With the officer PI of the Army, we move right down the bridge to the locality Three Eyes, along the 260 state road just outside Amatrice. The trims of the 6 ° regiment Genius Pioneers in Rome with the collaboration of the civil protection technicians of Friuli Venezia Giulia, they have created the "Ponte della Rinascita" as the mayor Sergio Pirozzi called him, to hope for the beginning of "a new life" for Amatrice.

The realization of this by-pass has allowed to bypass the bridge "Three Eyes" now irreparably damaged: no longer accessible and passable by means of rescue or cars. The traffic had been interrupted by repeated earthquakes. The side "shoulders" gave way and the plane tilted.

The Rinascita bridge is the first work built after the earthquake, which allowed the reopening of a road section considered to be of strategic importance for the entrance to Amatrice. From the Rinascita bridge it is possible to bring additional means and materials to Amatrice for the rescue and support of the population. The pioneers, with the collaboration of a department of the Fire Brigade from Calabria and the Astral (company that manages the road heritage of Lazio) in just 8 days, working day and night since last August 24, have built this bridge.

For the construction of the bridge, "gabions" in pre-stressed concrete were used. In the construction site of the by-pass, many vehicles were made available by the army: lighting groups, crawler excavators, trailers, front loaders and fire-fighting vehicles.

The first step is to create a new "crossing". We proceed with an excavation to bring the gravel to the new road surface, to the point where the interruption begins with the water of the river, where the precompressed concrete cubes were used.

The engineers do not do miracles, someone says they do their duty: the one for which they are paid. Amatricians do not agree, as well as all the people of central Italy hit by the earthquake. They trust our soldiers very much, they consider them "angels". Perhaps it is rhetoric, but they are: they work with the right spirit to face the difficulties of the people. They are all professionals. Many are young people, boys and girls, however they are prepared. They are trained for this job. None of them imagined that they were facing such a tragic event. Here they begin to train themselves to become more courageous, to calm the pain, the suffering of the people and to work so that the life of the country can return to an "almost" normality.

The trip to Amatrice, which is the most hit by the earthquake, continues with the soldiers of the 6 regiment Genius Pioneers to see closely the construction of the Bailey Bridge in Retrosi locality that the urbanization works for the SAE.

(click here to read the first part of the report)

(photo of the author)