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EARTHQUAKES

French Alps shaken by 140 earthquakes in just over a month

Residents in one part of the French Alps are starting to grow a little concerned after the area was hit by 140 earthquakes in the last 40 days.

Published: 30 October 2017 09:46 CET

Those living in the Maurienne part of Savoie in the French Alps have been getting used to being shaken awake at night in recent weeks.

Earthquake observation organisation Sismalp have registered 140 minor tremors in the region in the last 40 days. The strongest tremor registered 3.8 on the Richter scale.

While none of the earthquakes have caused any structural damage, they are starting to fray the nerves of locals, who have been briefed about how to act in the case of a powerful tremor.

“The noise is like a storm coming from far way. Everything shakes. I said 'that's it, all the tiles are going to break,” Martine a resident of the village of Montgellafray told Europe1 radio.

“The last earthquake was really frightening. Since the end of August it has never stopped. Every two days there is one and they are getting more common.”

Another resident of the village, named Yves said: “Everyone is asking questions. Everyone in the village is talking about it.”

Seismologists say they are unable to explain the increase in the number of earthquakes in the region, but have placed five new sensors in the valley to “monitor and better understand the phenomenon”.

After a series of quakes along the French Riviera in 2014 a specialist seismologist told The Local that south east France would be hit by a big earthquake at some point in time.

“We don't know when a big one will come, but it will and there will be fatalities,” he said.

READ ALSO:

'One day a deadly earthquake will hit France'

Turkish community in Germany gathers to help earthquake victims

In dozens of cities in Germany, donations are being collected for victims of the massive earthquake, which as of Wednesday afternoon had claimed more than 11,000 lives.

People are bringing tent stoves, flashlights, diapers, fleece blankets, and hand warmers. One of the many collection points has been organized by the German-Turkish care service Dosteli in Berlin.

At the governmental level, Germany — home to about three million people of Turkish origin — will” mobilise all the assistance we can activate”, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said on Wednesday.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had a call with Erdogan and sent his “deep condolences”, as a search and rescue team left Tuesday afternoon with 50 rescuers and equipment.

The EU said it was “funding humanitarian organisations that are carrying out search and rescue operations” in Syria as well as providing water and sanitation support and distributing blankets.

Charities line up to help

Particularly in Berlin, where over eight percent of the population is of Turkish origin, people have lined up down streets to drop off supplies. But they have led large donation efforts in cities like Frankfurt and Hamburg, where several businesses like bars set aside space to collect supplies,

The Dostali team had been sorting clothes and hygiene items all night, packing them and loading them into trucks. “Almost the entire Turkish diaspora in Berlin was there,” one volunteer told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ)

The helpers organized themselves via appeals in social media. From the collection points, the donations are to be transported by trucks and planes to the affected regions.

READ ALSO: Who are Germany’s foreign population and where do they live?

In response to an inquiry from the FAZ, Turkish Airlines confirmed that it was delivering donations from 14 countries to the Turkish crisis areas, Germany being one of them.

The Turkish community in Germany is well connected via social media – “and everyone wants to help,” said Kübra Oguz, a volunteer with the Puduhepa e.V., initiative founded by Turkish migrant women.

In order for this to happen in a targeted manner, she recommended directly donating money, which could then be funneled to buy food, hygiene products or shoes, depending on the need.

Several organisations in Germany and worldwide are also accepting donations for humanitarian aid, include UNICEF, Save the Children and Aktion Deutschland Hilft.

With reporting from AFP.

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