The earthquake emergency eases, actions to rebuild begin. There are long-term financial availability for which it is necessary, however, to be ready. We cannot afford to keep money earmarked and uncommitted. No euro remains unused or wasted. The priorities are for municipalities in grade 1 seismic areas: 5 million euros for 2017, 15 for 2018, 20 for 2019. The budget is provided for by art. 41 bis of Law 50 to cover final and executive design costs. Just a few days left to submit projects.
The deadline is September 15th. The government-structured initiative leverages the ability of the first citizens to use the funds. And so that they don't forget it, their Association – the Anci – has reminded him with a letter. But it's a good thing to also consult the Official Gazette of last August 2nd. There you realize if the administered municipality can participate in the allocation of funds and in what ways. It must, - as we said - necessarily be in the list of Municipalities at risk 1.
The action has enormous significance for the safety and management of reconstruction in the most critical areas. In reality, the mayors should already be aware of the classification of the risk. The principles of classification have been defined for some time by the Regions, explains the Civil Protection. The State has delegated the seismic classification to the territory, from which the list with the danger indexes of all 8102 Italian Municipalities has arisen. The list has an attribution of decreasing danger, spread over the whole national territory.
Zone 1 is the most dangerous, with the possibility of very strong earthquakes. The 2 is the one where the earthquake can be "only" strong. And then up to 4, where the event is considered rare. A complex work that has verified all of Italy, with the great merit of having also made the old and distressing term "unclassified territory" disappear. We need to go back to the times of the Irpina earthquake in the 80s to understand how much that gap in the national map cost in human lives.
Now the Anci at the hands of the secretary general Veronica Nicotra has written to about 700 colleagues to solicit questions on the first 5 million euros. Nicotra also writes that the Invitalia company is available to help local authorities draw up projects and intervention plans, should they be unable to act on their own. Or - we add - they have not already prepared them despite knowing where it is urgent to rebuild. In conclusion, it is a three-year allocation of 35 million euros to redesign above all public buildings and structures.
From last year's earthquakes to the recent one in Ischia, it is an opportunity to take full advantage of. We know that the sum for three years is small compared to the needs of hundreds of municipalities. But the number of applications and projects to be financed could also push the government to increase the allocation. It is a hope already to be cultivated. Let's not overlook that the probable exclusion of some projects would trigger controversies between the center and the periphery. Therefore it is more appropriate to believe that a high number of applications presented in the next few days gives a signal of the mayors' strength in knowing how to protect their human and material assets.
