Quake victims in northern Italy are facing the arduous problem of how to rebuild their lives.

Some 14,000 people were forced to leave their homes, and many remain too afraid to return, as constant tremors ripple through the area.

Only 5 percent of industry is working in the area, devastated by Tuesday's 5.8 magnitude earthquake.

Emilio Contini has lost his factory where workers made valves for artificial hearts.

Now the factory has been knocked down, deemed too dangerous by local authorities after the damage it sustained from the earthquake.

(SOUNDBITE) (Italian) ARTECH OWNER EMILIO CONTINI SAYING:

"I thought last night: What next? It is not the first time I have had to start from scratch. We didn't think we would have to do it now, we were confident we had reached a certain level. But this level collapsed and we have to start again. We get our strength from looking at our children and that allows us to start again."

The quake is expected to have a prolonged impact, adding to an already deep recession in the euro zone's third largest economy.

Sarah Sheffer, Reuters