1980 Azores Islands earthquake. Striking the Autonomous Region of Azores on 1 January, the 1980 Azores Island earthquake killed 61 people and injured over 400, causing severe damage on the islands of Terceira and São Jorge.Stationed there as a USAF Sgt. I got a detail to be a spotter on a C-130 looking for boats that may have been swamped with possible survivors. Then for the next several days we went around Terceira Island in teems to help dig people out and make sure collapsed homes were made safe. I'll never forget an old man showing us the clothing that his wife had died in.
You may notice it was on New Years day. The locals were terrified that it was some sort of end of the world retribution.
1980 was a bad year for earthquakes. I felt the Irpinia earthquake ~(7.0) while stationed in Naples, Italy. The epicenter was about 60 miles away from my apartment. The chandelier was swinging and objects were moving on the kitchen table and I lived on the ground floor. The death tool and injuries were bad. It occurred in a mountainous region with no building codes. The death toll was at least 2500. After shocks continued for some time and damaged many buildings in the Naples area.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_Irpinia_earthquake