Attachments
Disaster Overview in Morocco
A 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit central Morocco, High Atlas Mountains, on 8 September 2023 at 23:11 DST. The earthquake's epicentre was located 73.4 km southwest of Marrakesh, near the town of Ighil and the Oukaïmeden ski resort in the mountains. According to the US Geological Survey, the earthquake’s depth was 18.5 km, affecting al-Haouz, Marrakesh, Ouarzazate, Azilal, Chichaoua and Taroudant. Hundreds of aftershocks were recorded, the strongest of which reaching 5.9 magnitude. Finally, a 4.1 magnitude earthquake hit several provinces across Morocco on Wednesday, October 18, including Netizens, Amizmiz, and Taroudant.
The official death toll is 2,946 people, and 6,125 individuals were injured in the wake of this natural disaster.1 Relief efforts to deal with the situation continue to reconstruct the destroyed or partially damaged houses. Under the relief effort, Morocco allocated a budget of $11.7 billion for rehabilitating and reconstructing areas affected by the earthquake. The five-year program will benefit 4.2 million people in the affected areas.2 Under the program, the country has set up financial aid or allowances that will be paid monthly to families affected by the earthquake for one year. Families whose homes collapsed during the earthquake will receive $13,600 as compensation, while those whose homes were partially damaged will receive $ 7,780 in compensation.
The Moroccan Society of Emergency Medicine (SMMU) organised an academic conference on Saturday, 21 October, under the High Patronage of King Mohammed VI that promoted direct contact with emergency services to hasten the response time of medical and rescue teams and activate a pre-hospital system. Meanwhile, local populations in Amizmiz are calling for a protest to denounce local authorities’ “negligence” towards their living conditions and the government's “ambiguity” towards the reconstruction program.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Board approved a $5 billion credit line for Morocco available for two years. The loan ‘Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) for Morocco will be used in the face of climate-related risks and was approved by the IMF board during its annual meetings in the Moroccan city of Marrakech on October 9-15.
Disaster Overview in Libya
On September 10th, Storm Daniel struck northeastern Libya, causing torrential rains and flash floods that affected numerous cities and towns. The hardest-hit areas include Derna, Albayda, Soussa, Al-Marj, Shahat, Taknis, Battah, Tolmeita, Bersis, Tokra, and Al-Abyar, among others. Schools and hotels are being used as shelters. Albayda’s hospital, which serves the entire Green Mountain region, has been flooded, forcing the evacuation of ICU patients to private hospitals and clinics and relocating other patients to different buildings. 45 days following the floods, human casualties are substantial and more than 43,000 people remain displaced inside the country, including 16,000 in Derna. About 156,000 people have been reached with humanitarian assistance. Of the 231 healthcare facilities assessed, only 17 were fully functional, 168 were partially functional, and 29 needed to be functional.6 Around 884,000 people across five provinces (Mantikas) reside in areas directly impacted by Libya's storm and flash floods with varying degrees of impact.