Today in Madman history, a massive 7.2 earthquake hits Romania. The epicenter was located in the Vrancean Mountains. Though the quake only lasted about 90 seconds, the damage was massive. Over 1500 people died and about 35,000 people were left homeless. A number of Romanian celebrities based in Bucharest were victims of the disaster.
The main problem behind the quake's excessive damage was sadly due to Communism. The region had suffered a quake just as devastating (if not a little more) in 1940. The country rebuilt from that earth shaker. But under the Iron Curtain, Romanians didn't have the funds to properly reinforce their rebuilt structures like other seismic prone areas in the West like San Francisco and L.A.
Thankfully, Communist officials weren't stubborn and they allowed outside help, including the Red Cross to come and assist with relief and recovery efforts that took decades. The slow recovery and economic devastation is also considered a leading factor in Romania being so willing to leave the Soviet Union right after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Politics aside, this was a tragedy that affected hundreds of thousands with damage spreading to nearby nations such as Bulgaria and Moldova in which over 20,000 buildings sustained some sort of damage from the quake.
Before I sign off for today, a moment of silence for those lost by the Vrancean Quake.
Until tomorrow...
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