Local Italians desperately trying to reach family in the wake of deadly earthquake
Posted Aug 24, 2016 02:36:37 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Members of Calgary’s Italian community are waiting by their phones and computers for a reply from loved ones after a deadly earthquake shook central Italy.
“That’s the most agonizing part, not knowing if your loved ones have been affected,” said Linda Blasetti, a former president with Calgary Italian Club, during an interview with City TV. “So we’re with the community waiting to hear current information.”
She’s still trying to get a hold family who are located just south of the epicentre where the earthquake hit. Blasetti says many are using social media to reach out, but a lot of infrastructure has been destroyed.
“People [are] trying to reach their loved ones on Facebook, Twitter, as you can imagine. Telecommunications is very difficult because many of the power and capability within the region are down,” she says.
The club has spoken to the Canadian Red Cross and they’re both waiting for an international appeal so they can collect donations that would go directly to victims.