Contact: Brendan Daly/Nadeam Elshami/Drew Hammill, 202-226-7616
L'Aquila, Italy - Speaker Nancy Pelosi today toured the city of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region that was devastated by this April's earthquake. Pelosi was joined on the tour by President of the Italian Assembly Gianfranco Fini. During the tour, Pelosi received a briefing by Guido Bertolaso, the nation's head of Civil Protection Authority, which had coordinated rescue efforts immediately after the earthquake and now serves as the hub for communication and coordination for the region.
Pelosi also visited the city center, where the earthquake devastated historic buildings, including The Holy Souls, a 16th Century church, and university buildings. Rebuilding efforts have begun under the supervision of the Civil Protection Authority using state of the art anti-seismic technology.
"Having visited Italy as part of a U.S. delegation in the aftermath of the earthquake in Southern Italy in 1980, I have seen firsthand the courage of the Italian people in the face of a similar tragedy. And I saw it again here today," Pelosi said.
She added, "As someone who can trace my family's roots back to Venice, Genoa, Campobasso, Sicily, and Abruzzo, I felt personally committed to ensuring that the United States provided all possible assistance. The United States and the world have made clear our support for the Italian people by offering humanitarian aid to those affected in Abruzzo."
In addition, the U.S. State Department and the National Italian American Foundation launched a public-private partnership designed to respond to the education needs of L'Aquila, including the University of L'Aquila, which was ravaged by the earthquake.
Pelosi completed the tour of the earthquake zone by joining Fini at the re- opening of Scuola Materna Nursery School in the town of Saint Angelo. The school collapsed during the earthquake but is now rebuilt with anti-seismic technology.
"The opening of Scuola Materna Nursery School is major step in recovery and children always lead the way to any recovery. Helping these young children of this community begin their education in a new school is a celebration and a testament to the resolve of the Italian people," Pelosi said.
President Obama visited the region earlier this year to witness first hand the earthquake damage. Speaker Pelosi was in Rome, Italy to participate in the annual G8 Conference held by leaders of the lower houses of Parliaments, hosted this year by Fini. The topics covered in this year's meeting included the use of technology to increase transparency of legislative operations, multi-culturalism and coordination of international efforts against organized crime and drug trafficking.