Resettlement, food supply, reconstruction… Local authorities, with the support of local associations, are working to meet the needs of the local population who have lost everything.
Ten days after the earthquake that struck Morocco and killed more than 3,000 people, it is still time to care for the survivors. The earthquake destroyed 50,000 houses and left more than 300,000 people homeless. To provide them with shelter, the government provided tents to each affected family and announced the introduction of an emergency plan on Thursday, September 14. Numerous local associations also support civil protection and the Moroccan armed forces. “There are several priorities: the distribution of tents, blankets, warm clothing and mattresses,” says Benoît Carpentier, spokesman for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), who was on site for eight days. But several restrictions make the work of the emergency services more difficult.
A race against time begins to protect the victims before cold and bad weather arrives. “We expect temperatures to be close to zero within three weeks,” fears the association spokesman. Rain is also forecast for the coming days, which could complicate matters. Landslides may occur, stones block the roads again and isolate already isolated people. Isolation is the other challenge for emergency services due to the topography of the Atlas landscape. “Some villages affected by the earthquake are very isolated in the mountains. The access roads are too narrow to be used by vehicles. That’s why the local authorities transport the relief supplies on the backs of donkeys, which takes more time, says Benoît Carpentier.
Despite these difficulties, the supply of food and medicine is running smoothly. “We had an incredible wave of solidarity, especially at the national level,” says the IFRC spokesman happily. But when food supplies are plentiful today, “they are starting to decline.” Access to water in cities was disrupted by the earthquake, but “we are considering setting up a purification system for long-term accessibility.”
Men serve meals to displaced women and children living at a military relief camp in Amizmiz, September 17, 2023. EMILIE MADI / Portal
Traumatized parents and children
In addition to humanitarian aid, psychological support is “just as important,” assures Benoît Carpentier. The local population is traumatized by the earthquake. Patrick Villardy, president of the Light Intervention and Rescue Unit (ULIS), who was in a village in the Amizmiz region (south of Marrakesh) until Saturday, remembers a striking scene. “A few days after the disaster, an aftershock was felt, which resulted in a rockfall. People were so scared that they ran at full speed. Four people were injured in their onslaught,” he lamented. Benoît Carpentier met locals who “prefer to sleep outside or in their car because they are afraid that their house will collapse at the slightest noise.”
Like their parents, the children are also scarred by the tragedy. “Mothers told me yesterday that their children are having nightmares and are still very shocked,” says the IFRC spokesman. To provide psychological support to Moroccans, teams are sent to the villages: “They sit down with the communities to talk and ease the trauma,” he continues. According to Unicef, 100,000 children were affected by the earthquake. The Moroccan Ministry of Education also reports that 530 schools and 55 boarding schools were damaged, disrupting classes for many. “You went back to school yesterday,” informs Benoît Carpentier. Large tents have been sent to accommodate classes and allow children to return to normal life.”
Students attend classes under a tent at a makeshift school in the village of Asni in the High Atlas Mountains of central Morocco on September 18, 2023. FADEL SENNA / AFP
Emergency Relocation Plan
All French rescuers on the ground contacted by Le Figaro agree that the Moroccan government controls the management of humanitarian aid in their country. “Each region and each city has its own branch where the authorities determine the information and needs of the affected families,” says Benoît Carpentier, who works closely with them. “I have never seen such responsiveness from a government,” notes Patrick Villardy, who is used to earthquakes and intervened in Turkey last February. However, Morocco was sharply criticized for not requesting international humanitarian aid and accepting the outstretched hands of various countries, including France. Only Spain, the United Kingdom, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates were able to travel to Morocco to provide assistance.
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The government’s measures include the cabinet of King Mohammed VI. announced a first version of an emergency relocation plan in a press release on September 14th. On the one hand, these are “temporary resettlement operations” with the sending of tents and mobile homes, and on the other hand, financial support. A total of 500 million euros in aid will be used, including more than 2,700 euros for each household whose living space is affected. More than 12,700 euros will be given to families whose houses have completely collapsed. A new meeting of the royal cabinet was held on Monday, September 18, to identify “completely and partially collapsed houses,” another press release said. “This multidimensional program will primarily mobilize the state and public organizations’ own financial resources and will also be open to contributions from private and association actors,” it continues.
The future and long-term reconstruction of these houses was also on the agenda of this meeting. These buildings, made of earth and straw, have no foundation and do not meet earthquake protection standards. Then the question arises about a similar reconstruction. According to the press release, the government simply reiterated that these facilities will be rebuilt “in accordance with the heritage and architectural characteristics of each region.”
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