L’Aquila, 6 aprile 2009: la gestione dell’emergenza, la promozione della coesione e della salute sociale

Abstract

This work is part of Progetto Vela, a project that aims at "the promotion of health" in communities struck by natural and humanitarian emergencies. It is an initiative organized by a research group from University of Padova (FISSPA Department - Philosophy, Sociology, Pedagogy and Psychology), born in October 2011 with the goal to investigate the outcome on the interactive structure of the community of L’Aquila, meaning how it is shaping its own social reality, after the earthquake of April 6, 2009. The opening words of the article are dedicated to a theoretical reflection on how elements such as "catastrophe", "health" and "emergency" are known, which led to assume the relevance of investigating them as they are configured by the members of the community, instead of considering them as static entities. In line with these assumptions, through specific survey protocols, we researched the discourse modes that shape the "health" of L’Aquila before the earthquake, during the hours of post-earthquake emergency, today and in the future. The protocols were administered to different roles (citizens, merchants, teachers, law enforcement officers, Civil Protection operators, doctors and psychologists), in order to collect the words of all the voices of the community. The findings showed that the people of L’Aquila still see their community as "living a catastrophe" and linked to the earthquake, which pervaded, and still pervades, the community’s biography (in past, present and future perspective) with a high rate of potential social disintegration.

Keywords

• emergency
• community
• catastrophe
• social health and cohesion