"And Yet the Earth Moves" Thoughts about the 2016 Italian Series of Earthquakes

Abstract

The earthquakes accompany the history of humanity; it caused the destruction of several settlements. Italy is located in an active earthquake zone of the two tectonic plates fault line. This article focuses on the events and experiences of the 2016 series of earthquakes in Italy in 2016, as well as the description of the Hungarian defense practice. The Italian earthquake of 24 August 2016 caused the death of approximately 300 people, and widespread damage and destruction of buildings. We know the causes of the earthquakes, the processes in the depth of the earth, but we cannot prevent or reliably predict them. The only chance is the cooperation of professionals and decision makers, preparation of the population, effective rescue, damage prevention, and the preference of earthquake resistant constructions.