The citizens of Umbria are still reeling from the effects of a 6.2 magnitude earthquake that rocked the region in central Italy not 24 hours ago. At this point, 247 people have been declared dead, 368 have been injured, and the hunt still continues for people who may still be surviving in the rubble. The popular region is a hot spot for travelers, so it’s only natural to ask yourself if Umbria, and even Italy itself, is still safe to visit.
In the worst hit areas, witnesses say the buildings rattled for nearly 20 seconds. When asked of the damage, one mayor simply said, “Half the town is gone.” What’s worse, a few hours after the initial quake, locals were it with an aftershock measuring at 4.5 on the Richter scale.
That destruction, thankfully, seems to have largely subsided. Several roads that cut through the Umbria region have been decimated, having been washed out by landslides or made unstable by ruptures in the Earth. It may very well be months before all the area’s roads are made passable, though, the rest of the area — including the country’s major airports in Perugia and Rome — are considered just as safe as they would be on any other day.
