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L'AQUILA, Italy – Life in tent No. 16 is one of hardship, fear and mourning, but Rita Tichetti and her family feel lucky to be alive.
Tichetti, who found shelter with her nine family members in one of the 200 tents set up in this camp on the outskirts of town, never loses site of her three grandchildren, Maila, 13, Asia, 4, and Crystal, 3.
"We have lost everything but at least we made it through together," said the 54-year-old grandmother.
The kids play on the grass just outside their tent looking cheerful and carefree, as do the tens of other young evacuees who play volleyball and sing together with teams of psychologists and clowns.
Still, the trauma of Monday's earthquake is lurking behind their smiles.
"Crystal believes the earthquake is all her fault," said her aunt, Fabiana Milani, who is Tichetti's eldest daughter. The 3-year-old was sick the night the temblor struck central Italy and is convinced the quake was connected to her illness, Milani said.
Her sister Asia instead was taking a bath when a strong tremor shook their house a few hours before the main quake. "Now she doesn't want to wash anymore, she screams in terror," Tichetti said.
More than 60 psychologists and psychiatrists have been dispatched to help survivors.
At L'Aquila's main tent city, children from toddlers up to the age of 12 played happily Thursday morning with coloring books, stuffed animals and a rocking horse. One girl munched on a chocolate Easter egg.
Two curly haired toddlers had their parents' cell phone numbers written in black marker on the backs of their sweat shirts so they could be reunited easily in case of need.
One worker dressed as a clown gave a crying child a big hug.
"The little ones usually only cry when they see their parents in emotional distress," said psychologist Annalisa Patriarca. She said their main job was to be available — to talk to the adults and play with the children — and she noted that some of the anxiety evident immediately after the quake was subsiding.
The Tichettis' house in L'Aquila is now a pile of rubble. She and her family managed to escape through the stairs as the three-story building pancaked, finding themselves in the street still in their pajamas.
The frequent aftershocks that continue to hit this Apennine town make nights sleepless and days terrifying, but the family prefers to stay in the tent camp rather than join relatives and friends who live in the nearby town of Rieti.
"I can't even think of having concrete around me," Milani said with a shiver.
Relatives from Rieti brought the family a change of clothes and some money.
"Banks are closed, if they are still standing. We have no money and in any case there's nothing to buy," since most shops remain shuttered, Milani said.
Volunteers on Wednesday were setting up a dining area in the camp built on a sports field and distributed pasta, mozzarella cheese, ham and bread to hundreds of homeless.
Sometimes the volunteers go from tent to tent offering food, medicine and diapers for infants — together with a few words of comfort.
Still, daily life in the camp which is hosting about 1,700 people is tough.
"We wake up and start lining up for the shower. There is no hot water, which makes it more difficult to wash the kids," Tichetti said.
Another problem evacuees could face in the coming days is rain, which could turn the camp into a muddy pool.
Many survivors spend their days sharing quake experiences and trying to get information through newspapers and word-of-mouth. Milani, however, said she is scared of learning of more deaths, as she lost some friends to the quake.
"I don't listen to the news, all I know is that these friends were sleeping and the ceiling collapsed on them," she said. "We need to leave this torment behind and move on."
Tichetti, who found shelter with her nine family members in one of the 200 tents set up in this camp on the outskirts of town, never loses site of her three grandchildren, Maila, 13, Asia, 4, and Crystal, 3.
"We have lost everything but at least we made it through together," said the 54-year-old grandmother.
The kids play on the grass just outside their tent looking cheerful and carefree, as do the tens of other young evacuees who play volleyball and sing together with teams of psychologists and clowns.
Still, the trauma of Monday's earthquake is lurking behind their smiles.
"Crystal believes the earthquake is all her fault," said her aunt, Fabiana Milani, who is Tichetti's eldest daughter. The 3-year-old was sick the night the temblor struck central Italy and is convinced the quake was connected to her illness, Milani said.
Her sister Asia instead was taking a bath when a strong tremor shook their house a few hours before the main quake. "Now she doesn't want to wash anymore, she screams in terror," Tichetti said.
More than 60 psychologists and psychiatrists have been dispatched to help survivors.
At L'Aquila's main tent city, children from toddlers up to the age of 12 played happily Thursday morning with coloring books, stuffed animals and a rocking horse. One girl munched on a chocolate Easter egg.
Two curly haired toddlers had their parents' cell phone numbers written in black marker on the backs of their sweat shirts so they could be reunited easily in case of need.
One worker dressed as a clown gave a crying child a big hug.
"The little ones usually only cry when they see their parents in emotional distress," said psychologist Annalisa Patriarca. She said their main job was to be available — to talk to the adults and play with the children — and she noted that some of the anxiety evident immediately after the quake was subsiding.
The Tichettis' house in L'Aquila is now a pile of rubble. She and her family managed to escape through the stairs as the three-story building pancaked, finding themselves in the street still in their pajamas.
The frequent aftershocks that continue to hit this Apennine town make nights sleepless and days terrifying, but the family prefers to stay in the tent camp rather than join relatives and friends who live in the nearby town of Rieti.
"I can't even think of having concrete around me," Milani said with a shiver.
Relatives from Rieti brought the family a change of clothes and some money.
"Banks are closed, if they are still standing. We have no money and in any case there's nothing to buy," since most shops remain shuttered, Milani said.
Volunteers on Wednesday were setting up a dining area in the camp built on a sports field and distributed pasta, mozzarella cheese, ham and bread to hundreds of homeless.
Sometimes the volunteers go from tent to tent offering food, medicine and diapers for infants — together with a few words of comfort.
Still, daily life in the camp which is hosting about 1,700 people is tough.
"We wake up and start lining up for the shower. There is no hot water, which makes it more difficult to wash the kids," Tichetti said.
Another problem evacuees could face in the coming days is rain, which could turn the camp into a muddy pool.
Many survivors spend their days sharing quake experiences and trying to get information through newspapers and word-of-mouth. Milani, however, said she is scared of learning of more deaths, as she lost some friends to the quake.
"I don't listen to the news, all I know is that these friends were sleeping and the ceiling collapsed on them," she said. "We need to leave this torment behind and move on."
