The Messina, Italy earthquake was one of the most powerful earthquakes ever reported. The earthquake occurred on December 28, 1908. The first tremble was felt at approximately 5:20 am. The jolts lasted throughout the course of the next few years. The earthquake occurred mostly in Messina, Italy. It also affected areas in Europe and Southern Italy. The earthquake affected Sicily severely. Some citizens also reported felling jolts in Washington D.C. Being one of the most powerful earthquakes in history, the earthquake measured a 7.5 on the Richter scale. The most powerful earthquake ever recorded was a 9.5. The epicenter of an earthquake is the point on Earth’s surface, directly above the focus of an earthquake. Scientist use seismic waves and their speed to find where the epicenter is. The epicenter of the earthquake that happened in Italy was at sea. It was located at the Messina Strait. The Messina Strait is a narrow passage…show more content… Although there is no approximate cost, we know that the earthquake took out 90% of the buildings in Messina alone. Before the earthquake in Messina, Italy, the population was at around 150,000. By the time all of the damage from the earthquake was done, the population was reduced to less that 1000. More than 40% of the Messina population was killed. Throughout all of Italy, over 200,000 people died. Most of the cities surrounding Messina were reduced to rubble. The earthquake also destroyed many coastal cities. All throughout Italy, they did decide to rebuild the cities torn to rubble, with the help of the king and queen in 1908. It has taken decades to rebuild the cities. The structure is now much more stable. It is important that in earthquake- prone cities to build building that will be earthquake proof and can withstand earthquakes. They are still working on some on the cities to this day, but most of the cities are completely done rebuilding, if not only steps