Lay My Hat

Has anyone here been affected by the terrible earthquake?

Fortunately, Cyprus is too far away to have felt anything. I would be quite happy never to live through another earthquake again - and the strong one (5.6 or thereabouts) I experienced last year did not cause anything other than minor damage and no deaths.

I feel so sorry for those poor villagers. The only good part for them about being homeless is that it's summer, not cold wet winter. Small consolation, I know.

If they had feel that the interweb would be down. Unless they are not based in Italy.

I think we can all agree on something. All problems on running the business, feel so small when an event like this happens.

Slow Food International and chefs like Jamie Oliver are orgnaizing EAT FOR ITALY dinners ...participating restaurants are all over Europe ....good way to be supportive (the restaurants have pledged to donate part of the profits to Red Cross) ......

I'm about 60km (as the crow flies) from the epicentre. We have been very lucky- our house is on a raft so absolutely no damage . The continuing aftershocks are a bit nerve wracking and I know people who are living in tents because their houses have been deemed unsafe but we are far enough away for most people to only have suffered superficial damage. A town called Amandola has suffered quite a bit of damage (though nowhere near as much as Amatrice and Arquata). The local hospital has had to close and locals are worried that it will be used as an excuse to close it permanently.
I am just counting my lucky stars that we are ok- so many people who don't or didn't live that far from me have lost so much.

So glad you are ok Marchehelen. As you say so many living nearer have lost everything. I can't imagine the pain of their loss.
Natural disasters are perhaps the worst and they teach us to appreciate what we have.