May 11, 2011, is a pretty normal day for most of the people of he world but for Romans it’s a spooky and scary day. Italians are taking no chances with a seismologists prediction that today, May 11, will host the “big one”. Most Italians have taken a day off to avoid any uncertain incident.The prediction was made by scientist Raffaele Bendandi decades ago, but many people are apparently taking it seriously, while others say that it’s just a rumour on the internet.

An earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale struck central Italy in 2009, about 60 miles (95km) north of Rome. Earthquakes are not uncommon in Italy, but usually occur in the southern part of the country.

Who is Raffaele Bendandi?

A self-taught astronomer and seismologist, Raffaele Bendandi is said to have predicted several quakes, including the one which struck Friuli in 1976, claiming almost 1,000 lives. He was even awarded a knighthood by Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini for his research, believed earthquakes can be perfectly predictable as they are the direct result of the combined gravitational pulls of the planets, the moon and the sun.

His popularity started in 1923, when he predicted that an earthquake would strike the central region of the Marches on January 2 the following year. Indeed, a quake hit the region two days after his prediction, gaining him a front page article in the daily Corriere della Sera titled, “The man who forecasts earthquakes.”

Rome braces itself for uncertain ending?

The Eternal city will be razed to the ground by a powerful earthquake that will destroy 2000 years of history of Rome including the Colosseum, the Pabtheon and St Peter’s. The earthquake will erase every thing of Rome and death and destruction will prevail in the city.

Rome is closed!

Applications from the capital’s public employees for a day off on May 11 are 20 percent higher than for the same day in 2010, while many parents have already agreed to keep their children away from school.

No such thing as earthquake forecast

Earthquakes can not be predicted nor can be excluded, that a quake will occur on May 11, June 11 or any other date. Weather can be predicted but even in this modern time there has been no instrument or way to forecast or predict earthquakes neither tsunamis.

So if any one reading from Europe especially Rome, does not need to worry yet! as earthquake are impossible to predict.

….But Spain gets hit by moderate earthquake

A 5.2-magnitude earthquake shook southern Spain Wednesday, killing at least 10 people and damaging buildings, cars and street. The earthquake was happened at 6:47 p.m. local time and followed a smaller earthquake of 4.5-magnitude. The main shake was centered a little over half a mile below the ground, which created damage across the tourist-dependent region of Murcia. Spain has hundreds of earthquakes every year but most of them are too small to be noticed.

Murcia is the country’s most seismically active area and suffered tremors in 2005 and 1999. It is close to the large faultline beneath the Mediterranean Sea where the European and African continents meet

So what happens now? Is earthquake predictable? Can we forecast earthquakes? Was earthquake prophet the first man to really forecast earthquake? These are some questions that need to be answered.