earthquakes

Luca Ceriscioli said quakes and snow had caused landslides and thousands of families were suffering power cuts, with some villages left isolated.

A man was killed and another reported missing in the nearby Abruzzo region.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker vowed EU solidarity with Italy after the tremors.

Marche was one of the regions worst hit by the earthquake of 24 August, with 46 of its 298 victims losing their lives in a single mountain village there, Pescara del Tronto.

Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System (RIMES) institutional development specialist Ruby Policarpio says Papua New Guinea must plan well and be prepared for natural events to avoid disasters.

Policarpio said hazard and disaster are two different things.

She explained that when anticipatory mechanisms are in place then preparedness measures can be done so that the impacts are minimized.

“When we are anticipating El Nino it doesn’t need to be a disaster but a hazard this is where seasonal weather outlooks are very important.