The Great Earthquake of Messina 1908, and US Assistance

On the early morning of December 28, 1908, the Italian city of Messina awoke to the deadliest earthquake in European history. Striking just days after Christmas in the Straits of Messina, the 7.2 (USGS) magnitude quake shook for nearly 30 seconds, toppling several story buildings and burying alive it's occupants. Minutes later, the tsunami came, measuring somewhere between 20 to 40 feet high. The waves were gradually followed by smaller ones, until the water finally subsided.

When it was over, the city of Messina, which only had a population of 150,000, had been entirely destroyed, along with the nearby city of Reggio di Calabria, and other outlying areas. It is estimated that the combined earthquake and tsunami killed almost 200,000 people.Because of the advent of World War I, just 6 years later, much of the area never had a chance to fully recover.

Since the quake had hit so close to land, the tsunami had little else to go but land, making it #4 on the "Biggest Tsunami Countdown"

#3. The Great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755, over 100,000 people perished

#2. The 1883 Krakatau, Indonesia, 36,000 victims

#1:The 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake, 310,000 victims

Remember, The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a major earthquake that struck San Francisco, California at 5:12 A.M. on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. The magnitude of the earthquake is a 7.8; or as high as 8.25.The epicenter occurred offshore about 2 miles from the city, It ruptured along the San Andreas Fault, and is remembered as one of the worst natural disasters in the history of the United States. From the earthquake and resulting fire, the death toll is estimated to be above 3,000, represents the greatest loss of life from a natural disaster in California's history.

LaGumina Publishes Earthquake History

Work Inspires Exhibit at Grand Central Station

Massapequan Observer - Massapequa,NY,USA

Joe Scotchie
November 14, 2008

Last year, Massapequa resident Salvatore J. LaGumina, a professor of history at Nassau Community College, published "The Humble and The Heroic", a history of Italian-Americans during World War II.

Now, he has followed up that book with "The Great Earthquake: America Comes to Messina's Rescue", a book that tells the story behind, as he calls it, "one of the biggest natural calamities in history."

This year marks the anniversary of the heroic efforts of American servicemen who came together to assist victims of that earthquake. In recognition of that, LaGumina's work on the earthquake influenced the United States Navy and the Columbus Citizens Foundation to make it a centerpiece of the "Great White Fleet Exhibit" at Grand Central Terminal, one that ran from Oct. 7-17 of this year.

The exhibition, LaGumina added, was part of the annual Columbus Celebration, the largest celebration of Italian and Italian-American culture in the world, which culminated this year in the annual Columbus Day parade.

The tragedy took place on the morning of Dec. 28, 1908, when, at 5:21 a.m., Messina Strait, a tremor passed between Scylla and Charybdis. In a few seconds, an earthquake and a seaquake of unprecedented violence destroyed the Strait's shores of two regions, Calabria and Sicily, and the two opposite cities, Reggio Calabria and Messina.

Earlier, in 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt sent 16 battleships to circumnavigate the globe on a goodwill mission. While returning from the Far East as it approached the Suez Canal it learned of the devastating earthquake followed by a tidal wave that hit Sicily and southern Italy in late 1908, the fleet's mission changed dramatically. Ships from America's Great White Fleet rushed to the Mediterranean to provide essential humanitarian aid and services to Italy, where an estimated 200,000 people had perished.

In all, the Great White Fleet documented the heroic efforts of Italians and American servicemen who came together in one of the greatest humanitarian efforts in European history.

The Great Earthquake documents the role that nations other than the United States played in the rescue missions. It also highlights the humanitarian efforts of Italian-Americans in the United States and the Roman Catholic Church.

As the book jacket states, "The humanitarian role played by the United States...deserves to be better known...The United States navy provided large quantities of food, medical personnel, cots, and blankets. It was soon realized that recovery from the horrific devastation would require much more assistance, and thus began a little-known but important chapter in Italian-American relations in the form of extensive house-building projects that were critically needed. American naval personnel became engaged in erecting the homes that became known as 'the American village.' The operation that lasted for weeks elicited genuine appreciation from Italian officials. It also required a delicate temporary relinquishment of national sovereignty by the Italian government to an American camp within Italy."

A prolific author, Salvatore LaGumina is also Director of the Center for Italian American Studies at Nassau Community College. He has written and edited 18 books and dozens of articles, most of which deal with the Italian-American experience.

The Great Earthquake is published by Teneo Press, Youngstown, NY.

http://www.antonnews.com/massapequanobserver/2008/11/14/news/