Sovereign Military Hospitaller
Order of St John of Jerusalem of
Rhodes and of Malta

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The Order of Malta’s Italian Relief Corps has some hundred volunteers deployed in the quake-hit areas

The Order of Malta’s Italian Relief Corps has some hundred volunteers deployed in the quake-hit areas
02/11/2016

The Order of Malta’s Italian Relief Corps (CISOM) has almost a hundred volunteers, including rescuers, psychologists and health workers, currently deployed in the areas of central Italy devastated by the recent earthquakes with over a thousand aftershocks in just three days.

After the latest 6.5 magnitude earthquake on the morning of 30 October, teams of volunteers from Macerata and Ancona were immediately activated and put at the disposal of the regional Civil Defence, guaranteeing basic first-aid in the areas most affected in Umbria and Marche.

A delegation of 20 volunteers from other Italian regions was also organized around Macerata, and specifically in the towns of Camerino, Muccia and San Ginesio needing urgent support. A mobile kitchen run by the Order of Malta has been set up in San Severino Marche.

Already present in Norcia, Umbria – following the shocks of the last weeks – the Order of Malta has augmented its teams currently active in the quake-hit areas and where the homeless are being put up. At the moment, 30 volunteers are at work in Umbria alone, specifically in Preci, Spoleto, Norcia and Perugia, offering healthcare and psychological support for the local population.

The Order of Malta continues to assist the Amatrice residents after the latest tremors exacerbated the situation of those made homeless by the 24 August quake, also because the temperature is dropping with the arrival of autumn.

The Order of Malta’s Military Corps is also actively participating alongside the Italian Relief Corps in assisting quake victims in the medical facility set up in Spoleto. In addition, the Military Corps has delivered a large number of camp beds to the structures housing displaced persons in Umbria. In Teramo, in Abruzzo, it is providing support in the University Veterinary Hospital premises for the elderly, families and students whose homes were damaged by the latest strong quake on Sunday morning.