Navy personnel affected by largest earthquake to shake Naples in decades

NAPLES, Italy — The Navy has established an after-hours housing hotline and is offering resources to help military families and civilians affected by the strongest earthquake to shake the Naples area in at least 40 years.

It wasn’t clear Monday how many U.S. service members, Defense Department civilians and their families were affected by the magnitude 4.7 earthquake, which struck Naples on Friday.

The quake occurred at 7:46 p.m. local time. It sent rocks and debris tumbling from a cliffside and damaged homes and buildings, including those in the commune of Pozzuoli, where hundreds of U.S. military personnel live.

In posts to a private Facebook page for military spouses at Naval Support Activity Naples, two people said severe earthquake damage to their homes had required them to relocate.

The auto skills center and a library at the base were closed Saturday due to damage at the homes of employees, the base’s Morale, Wellness and Recreation office said on Facebook.

In a series of weekend social media posts, the base directed people to online information and resources and said it was keeping in close communication with local officials for updates on seismic activity.

It also offered guides on what to do after an earthquake, including how to arrange a structural inspection of a home with a landlord and what to do if the landlord is not responsive.

The base said that in some cases, active-duty personnel and their families may qualify for an emergency temporary lodging allowance.

The quake injured at least 21 people and displaced 290 others, the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported Monday.

It also caused widespread temporary power and cellphone outages and suspended public transportation services as officials made safety checks.

The quake’s epicenter was in the Campi Flegrei area, a network of craters and other volcanic structures, mostly under the Bay of Naples. It is not directly connected to Mount Vesuvius but results from the same complex tectonic forces affecting southern Italy.

The Naples area has experienced an increase in seismic activity over the past two years, including thousands of small earthquakes and other signs of volcanic activity that have rattled residents and caught the attention of volcanologists.

The last major seismic activity in the region was the magnitude 6.9 Irpinia earthquake on Nov. 23, 1980, centered in Castelnuovo di Conza, about 81 miles southeast of Naples.

That quake killed nearly 3,000 and injured at least 8,000 in the southern Italian regions of Campania, Basilicata and Puglia.

In 2024, the Navy began requiring some service members and Defense Department civilians to sign a letter saying they understand the danger of living in areas of Naples deemed high-risk during a volcanic eruption or earthquake.

The requirement applies to military community members moving into a residence in red or yellow zones associated with Campi Flegrei.

The Italian government has designated those zones to include a large swath of Naples popular with the military community for its sea views, villa-like living and proximity to restaurants, bars and shopping.

They include the commune of Pozzuoli and the districts of Posillipo, Chiaia and Vomero.