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DISASTER OVERVIEW
A earthquake of 6.8 magnitude shook Morocco on September 8, 2023, at 11 p.m. local time, followed by a magnitude 4.9 aftershock 19 minutes later. According to USGS, the quake originated deep below the surface, at a depth of 18.5 km with its epicenter identified in the High Atlas Mountains, 71km south-west of the city of Marrakesh. The earthquake was felt as far away as Portugal and Algeria.
At least 2,901 people were killed, mostly in Marrakech and five provinces near the epicenter, and another 5,530 were injured, according to Morocco’s Interior Ministry .According to the GDACS report, approximately 320,000 people were exposed to the earthquake with the remote villages nestled in the High Atlas Mountains, right at the earthquake’s epicenter, suffering substantial losses. According to reuters the destruction in some areas is described as “absolute,” with not a single house left standing.
The continued risk of landslides and the large distances involved complicated the rescue and relief efforts. with emergency services facing difficulties in reaching people in need. While earthquakes of this size in the region are uncommon (since 1900 there have been only nine magnitude 5 events), this earthquake was the deadliest in Morocco since 2004.
NATIONAL SOCIETY SITUATION REPORT
The Moroccan Red Crescent (MRCS) teams are coordinating closely with the local authorities on the ground assessing the situation and providing support to the affected people.
- MRCS deployed 3 operations managers in the initial response.
- In Taroudant Province, 60 paramedics are on the ground. Services provided include evacuation, first aid, transporting the wounded to the hospital, psychological support, reducing panic, organizing with the authorities and Supervision of food supplies, blankets, and tents shipped from the regional warehouse in Agadir. 27 trained first aid volunteers were deployed in the tourist city of Marrakesh. Some of the visitors to the city are doctors and are currently volunteering to support in providing medical support to the injured in the area. MRCS distributed in El Hous: 600 tents, 3000 blankets, food aid for one month, and potable water for 600 families for 15 days.
- The disaster categorization was announced as RED category in 9/11/2023 and an emergency appeal is under development and will be published. Meanwhile, A DREF allocation of CHF 1 million was approved and released to support the response of the national society on the ground.
SCOPE AND SCALE
Damage to shelter and housing: The earthquake impact on shelter and housing has been devastating in most of the affected area, with very high levels of damage to dense residential areas of Marrakesh as well as to villages in the rural and mountains area of the Atlas. Many affected households are sleeping in open air or improvised collective shelters, although many public buildings sustained structural damage as well, rendering them usafe for occupancy. There have been multiple reports of internal displacement with families leaving their villages and moving to urban areas seeking for shelter and humanitarian assistance, thus increasing pressure on early relief efforts.According to reuters villagers in the affected areas have been forced to camp outside for safety as their traditional mud brick houses were flattened by the quake.
Damage assessments are ongoing in parallel with search and rescue efforts, however there aren’t official estimates yet due to the lack of consolidated reports. While the epicenter of the earthquake was not densely populated, the impact on local structures was significant. Several cities, notably Marrakesh, Taroudant, Asmiz and Chichaoua have suffered heavy destructions. The earthquake also caused damage to the old city of Marrakech, a UNESCO World Heritage site, where a minaret toppled over and parts of the historic city walls collapsed along with some traditional houses. According to an Unosat analysis performed on 10/9/2023, there are over 392 damaged structures and over 347 potentially damaged structures. According to Action for Humanity’s published situation report, the provinces of Chichaoua and Taroudant have been the hardest hit in terms of school damage.
Impact on Health systems and structures:According to Islamic Relief’s the earthquake caused significant harm to Morocco’s health infrastructures and systems, with hospitals and clinics unable to function due to structural damage. Moreover, damaged and/or blocked roads prevent ambulances from reaching severely affected communities, especially in mountainous areas where helicopters have been used to transport injured people to the hospitals. Regarding damage to key infrastructure, most of damage has been sustained by the road network. The earthquake wreaked havoc on the local health infrastructure. Many rural areas surrounding Marrakech, including the provinces of al-Haouz, Ouarzazate, Azilal, Chichaoua, and Taroudant, bore the brunt of the disaster. Not only were health facilities damaged, but accessibility to remote villages in the Atlas Mountains became a significant concern, hampering rescue and relief efforts.
People displaced. According to aljazeera Some survivors have fled their destroyed villages and are camping along the Tizi n’Test road, connecting remote valleys to Marrakesh. and according to Acaps the number of people displaced by the earthquake is high because of significant damage to buildings, making shelter needs a priority in al-Haouz . The numbers of people remaining in temporary shelters in their village and those displaced to other villages or provinces are unclear. The earthquake has affected about 100,000 children across all affected areas, who likely need protection assistance.
The earthquake’s most extreme shake zone occurred in an area where residents are relatively lower wealth, and also occurred in a zone with limited access to hospitals and other health facilities . This has resulted in a significant strain on the health system, as the limited access to hospitals and health facilities has made it difficult for those affected by the earthquake to receive the medical attention they need.