Alphen aan den Rijn Wednesday April 8 2009
When I woke up on Monday morning and listened to the 9 o’ clock news , I heard that an earth quake had hit the middle of Italy. Worried about Rieti, I looked straight away at the news to see where the epic center had done so much damage that 16 people had died!!! L’Aquila was hit!!!! Everybody who has been in Rieti has passed or has been IN L’Aquila and I felt VERY sorry for all the people over there. I wrote straightaway to Rieti friends to check if everything was OK in the area I have loved since my first visit in 1984.
The rest of Monday and Tuesday I spend in Amsterdam, but received back news from some of my Italian friends that Rieti is safe.
One of my friends wrote:
dear Ritz
thanks for your mail. This terrible event hasn’t fortunately hit Rieti at all. Despite the small distance between Rieti and the center of the earthquake, no major damns or victims are reported in the area. The situation is really tough and Rieti Airport is proving to be useful for the community as basis for many helicopters that are operating in the hit area.
The operations are really efficient and I’m hearing all the time helicopters flying in the area to transport injured and supplies. The earthquake has been really strong and I was awaken by the strength and the roaring of the moving terrain.
We are all praying and giving all the support to the close population. Many friends lost everything this night and they’re still lucky.”
As we write now on wednesday more then 200 people have died, in fact the death toll has risen to 250 and 70.000 people have no house anymore..!Still pretty heavy after-shocks!!!One as heavy as 5.6 on the scale of Richter, killing 2 more people. The nights are just cold and it must be very bad for the people living in tents.
After 40 hours they found a young student from the university of L’Aquila ALIVE and after 34 hours a lady from 94, who knitted till she was found!!
Talking about Italy, as life goes on; Rieti is organizing the INTERNATIONAL CIM 2009 with Giorgio, as their competition director. Georgini Ballarati was the deputy -WGC -2008-competition director working very closely together with Leonardo Brigliadori ,the director.
As Leo is the new president of the Gliding Federation he wants to make this event a BIG one on a HIGH level with an international allure!!
Many well known names , on the participants-list, several TOP pilots! Look for the news on
www.rietigliding.it The comps will be flown from August 4-14 2009.
You can still enter your name on the list till May 31 2009. The comps are open for club and standard class, 15 m and 18 m., two-seater 20m and open class.
Have a look! I might even go myself !!!! It would be great to see all pilots from nearly all classes together again during one competition!
One week later is the famous COPPA flown from August 19 -26 2009, as well as the National 18 m. and open class championships and Italian Promotion Championship.
It seems the website is made by the POST FRONTAL guy’s, you remember their CONDOR system during the WGC????!!!
What a fabulous job!!!!
The Royal Fokker ,owned by the Dutch Government, was not a 28 model but a 70, sorry about that!!!I hesitated already , for that reason all the ?????
Off to the hospital now see you on Sunday.
Cheers Ritz