Military families in Naples look for new homes after last month’s earthquake

NAPLES, Italy — Some U.S. military personnel and Defense Department civilians uprooted by a damaging earthquake nearly two weeks ago won’t be returning to their homes anytime soon.

Naval Support Activity Naples said in a statement that as of Tuesday, 19 service members and DOD civilians remain displaced by the magnitude 4.7 quake that struck the Naples region in the evening hours of July 31.

In all, 27 people affiliated with the base were affected by the earthquake, but eight were able to remain in their homes, according to the base.

“The safety and well-being of our service members, civilian employees and families remain our highest priority as NSA Naples continues to provide support,” the base said.

That effort includes helping affected people with housing services, legal assistance and temporary lodging, among other resources, according to the statement.

It wasn’t clear Wednesday how many service members and civilians displaced by the earthquake already had received structural assessments indicating they may need to permanently relocate.

But getting that documentation has proved challenging for at least one quake-affected military family whose apartment building in the Naples commune of Pozzuoli ultimately was deemed uninhabitable.

Hundreds of U.S. military personnel live in Pozzuoli, which is in the volcanically active Campi Flegrei area, the quake’s epicenter.

“That piece of paper is what helps us do anything,” said Deana Bieker, a military spouse whose husband is an active-duty sailor.

An official declaration of uninhabitability is required to break the lease on their apartment so they can find another home, receive emergency housing allowance and file insurance claims, she said.

The couple’s landlord, who is on vacation, was unresponsive to requests to help in facilitating the inspection or addressing other related needs, Bieker said. They finally got the declaration on their own from the fire department, she added.

Bieker and her husband haven’t been back to their penthouse apartment since the day after the earthquake when, during a brief visit, they quickly gathered passports and other important documents, clothing and necessities, she said.

Video of their home taken during that visit shows large cracks in walls; furniture, lamps and artwork in disarray; and floors covered with broken dishes, glasses, wine bottles and other fragile items.

The pair were not home during the quake but returned soon after to find their neighbors outside and pieces of stucco, bricks and other debris strewn around the apartment building. They stayed at a hotel that night, she said.

Since then, the couple have learned that the building is in danger of collapsing. It’s uncertain if they will be able to retrieve furniture and other items left behind, Bieker said.

They are among the more than 2,300 Pozzuoli residents displaced by the earthquake, which struck at 7:46 p.m.

It was the largest seismic event to shake the region in about four decades and sent cliffside rocks and debris tumbling while building facades crumbled.

“You’re trying not to get depressed. You’re trying to stay upbeat,” Bieker said. “It has been frustrating.”

It’s unknown where the homes of other affected service members and civilians are located. Some military community members impacted by the earthquake have posted to private Facebook pages that they are looking for new homes.

The initial quake was followed by a series of aftershocks, including a magnitude 3.8 tremor a little more than two hours later.

The tremors have continued, including one of magnitude 3 on Monday, the Italian newspaper Il Mattino reported.

In 2024, the Navy began requiring some service members and DOD 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.

Those areas include Pozzuoli and the districts of Posillipo, Chiaia and Vomero, which are popular with the military community for their sea views and proximity to restaurants, bars and shopping.

The document offers personnel the opportunity to become better-informed and more prepared before signing a lease, the base said earlier this month.

“Eligibility for assistance is determined in accordance with defined procedures, not by signing the acknowledgment,” the base said.