On Wednesday 24 August 2016, a powerful and devastating earthquake hit Italy, 10 kilometers southeast of Norcia (in central Italy) at 3:36 in the morning.

The Italian Civil Protection Agency has confirmed the death of 293 people, particularly in the town of Amatrice, Accumoli and Arquata del Tronto located in the Italian Apennine mountains.

Last Sunday 28 August , Italian Prime Minister Mr Matteo Renzi discussed the reconstruction plan with Mr Renzo Piano, one of most renowned architects.

In particular, the Italian authorities are facing the major challenge of getting survivors into safe and warm accommodations before the winter. This is why, as reported by the Italy’s “Corriere della Sera” newspaper and “La Stampa”, wooden huts would be erected, likely close to people’s damaged or destroyed homes. These wooden “mini-chalets” will be built within three months. The wooden chalets will have one or two bedrooms, a kitchen and bathroom, costing €1,400 per square metre. A small hut of 40 sq m would cost about €55,000, Corriere della Sera reported.

The information provided by the Corriere della sera included also a video on the online Corriere TV , showing that “a 7 floors wooden house (24 meters high) , ​​entirely made of solid wood panels (cross-laminated – X lam ) and built in the laboratories of the research centre Ivalsa Cnr of San Michele all'Adige ( Trento )  successfully resisted the seismic tests related to the simulation of the Kobe earthquake (magnitude 7.2 on the Richter scale), which in 1995 caused the death of more than six thousand people.” 

Link:http://video.corriere.it/come-resiste-ad-scossa-72-casa-legno-sette-piani-antisismica/5c6a24aa-6dce-11e6-8bf4-ee6b05dcd2d0

Regardless of the construction material that the Italian Government will decide to use to re-build the cities of Amatrice, Accumoli and Arquata del Tronto, EOS hopes that the survivors might receive as soon as possible new homes where to continue their life.