Rescue teams continue to care for people in mountain villages affected by the September 8 earthquake, which killed more than 2,900 people. A week after the tragedy, the UN indicated that the kingdom is willing to ask for more help from the international community to care for the victims. The king also announced a reconstruction and rehousing plan for people who lost their homes.
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After seven days searching for survivors in the rubble, Morocco is preparing for a new phase: assistance to victims and reconstruction. The earthquake that hit the High Atlas region hard on Friday, September 8, killed more than 2,900 people and left about 5,600 injured. The material damage is considerable.
According to the head of UN emergency operations, Martin Griffiths, Morocco is willing to request help from the UN to care for the earthquake victims:
“We hope, based on the discussions we have had with the Moroccan authorities, that the request for assistance will be made between today and tomorrow”
Assistance and reconstruction follow rescue operations
The humanitarian official, who spoke from Geneva in Switzerland this Friday, specified that Moroccan authorities are ready to give priority to meeting the needs of those affected by the tragedy, after a week dedicated to the search and rescue of victims, and requested help from the United Nations. “The next phase is to provide help to survivors, shelter, food and medical supplies,” said Martin Griffiths.
Since Saturday, September 9, Moroccan firefighters and soldiers focused their efforts on searching for survivors and unblocking the roads that lead to the most remote affected municipalities. To accelerate operations, the Moroccan authorities accepted the help of reinforcement teams from Spain, the United Kingdom, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, but denied proposals for assistance from other countries such as the United States or France.
Government in authorities #Morocco are providing life-saving assistance to the survivors of the devastating earthquake. The local community has also rallied with incredible support.
Our Director of Communications @nmekki shares a first-hand account from the epicenter. 👇 pic.twitter.com/q2oaIdDjRX
— UN Humanitarian (@UNOCHA) September 15, 2023
The decision could surprise in the face of the emergency. However, Martin Griffiths did not want to make value judgments about the fact that Morocco did not immediately ask the UN for help: “The first days of a sudden catastrophe are always marked by relative confusion. Therefore, I have no critical comment. to do. We are willing to work and provide coordination support.”
The arrival of the cold season amplifies the need for rehousing
On the ground, especially in the most remote mountainous areas, the humanitarian situation remains critical. Entire municipalities were destroyed and the inhabitants are now homeless. Survivors need tents, warm clothing and cover as the cold season approaches, as Benoit Carpentier, spokesperson for the Red Cross and Red Crescent Federation, explains.
“In the mountains temperatures will drop to minus zero in the coming weeks and we need to make sure everyone has some kind of shelter. “Here we are not talking about repairing, but rather rebuilding towns, which can take months or years.”
In Marrakech, displaced people have taken refuge in the homes of relatives and friends. Although the authorities installed a reception center in the tourist city to care for the victims, the efforts seem insufficient and many people continue sleeping on the streets.
Mohamed VI, more open to international aid
Aware of the seriousness of the situation, the Moroccan authorities announced the launch of a program focused on the relocation and reconstruction of destroyed or damaged homes.
King Mohamed VI considers temporary relocation “extremely priority”, according to the Royal Cabinet statement. These “emergency measures” will consist of “adequate on-site accommodation options” or “reception places equipped with all necessary amenities.” Moroccan authorities count some 50,000 buildings destroyed or damaged.
The State promises emergency aid of 30,000 dirhams, that is, about $3,000 to all affected households. At the same time, financial aid is also planned for the “immediate reconstruction works” of the homes, the statement states. “The plan is to provide 140,000 dirhams (about $13,800) for homes that have completely collapsed and 80,000 dirhams (about $7,900) to cover rehabilitation work for homes that have partially collapsed.”
The plan “will mainly mobilize financial resources from the State and public organizations,” underlines the King’s Cabinet, but “it will also be open to contributions from private agents and associations, as well as from brother and friendly countries that wish to do so.”
King Mohamed VI, whose silence began to generate criticism a few days after the catastrophe, also announced that, through the Al Mada financial group, he will donate about 1 billion dirhams (about $97.6 million) to the fund created to manage the effects. of the earthquake.
For its part, the International Federation of the Red Cross launched an appeal to raise some 100 million euros to support humanitarian operations. In any case, the reconstruction of the homes will take years, indicates spokesman Benoit Carpentier:
“It will take weeks, months, years to rebuild because we are not talking about repairs. “We are talking about rebuilding several of these towns”
The magnitude 7 earthquake on the Richter scale was the most powerful ever experienced in the country’s history. Also the deadliest in the kingdom since the one that destroyed Agadir, on the west coast, on February 29, 1960. Between 12,000 and 15,000 people died, a third of the city’s population.
With AFP, EFE and local media
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