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Morocco

Morocco Earthquake 2023 Operation Update #3 (MDRMA010)

Attachments

Description of the crisis

On 8 September 2023 at 23:00 local time a 6.8-magnitude earthquake shook Morocco. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the quake originated at a depth of 18.5 km with its epicenter in the High Atlas Mountains, located 71 km southwest of Marrakech, a major economic center. The earthquake was felt as far away as Portugal and Algeria, according to the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere, and Algeria’s civil defense agency. A 4.9-magnitude aftershock then struck 19 minutes later. Damage to homes and critical infrastructure was extensive in all affected areas, highlighting the urgent need for emergency shelter support for those affected. Fearing further tremors, many survivors of the first two days sheltered in the streets for safety, while damaged roads, the continued risk of landslides, and the large distances complicated initial rescue and relief efforts.

Remote villages high in the Atlas Mountains, near the earthquake's epicenter, suffered substantial damage. Moroccan search and rescue teams, with support from teams from Spain, Britain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, stepped up massive efforts to bring relief to devastated mountain villages.

This earthquake is the deadliest in Morocco since 2004. According to the national authorities, 2,946 people died while the amount of injured reached 5,6741 It is estimated that 59,674 houses were destroyed or damaged. The provinces of El Haouz/Marrakech, Chichaoua and Taroudant are the worst affected areas, although other areas including Ouarzazate and Azilal were also affected. Regarding educational institutions, the Ministry announced that a total of 530 educational institutions and 55 boarding schools were damaged to varying degrees, mostly in the provinces of Al Haouz, Chichaoua, and Taroudant.

Summary of response

Overview of the host National Society and ongoing response

The Moroccan government is leading the overall coordination and management of humanitarian assistance for this earthquake both locally and internationally. Since the beginning of the response, the Moroccan Red Crescent (MRC) has maintained regular contact and close relations with relevant ministries and authorities. The MRC deployed emergency response teams made up of volunteers trained on search and rescue, and first aid to provide essential and life-saving support, also releasing non-food items from its disaster preparedness stocks. These items were distributed to the people affected by the earthquake, particularly those living in the open sky in the mountains.

Once the search and rescue phase ended, the MRC continued to provide first aid, and mental health and psychosocial support services in communities; distributed emergency tents, floor kits, tarpaulins, jerry cans, buckets, hygiene kits and other non-food items. In addition, MRC installed temporary WASH facilities (toilets, showers, water points and incinerators) for people living in temporary settings, with the support of Partner National Societies (PNS) and IFRC. At the same time, MRC provided restoring family links (RFL) services with technical support from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

So far, 324 volunteers have been deployed by MRC in this response. MRC and Movement partners have organized a number of training sessions for volunteers and newly inducted staff on emergency response, first aid, firefighting, and community engagement and accountability (CEA). Training sessions on safe driving and first aid were also provided for newly recruited drivers. Throughout this response, MRC will continue to invest in its capacities by organizing different trainings to further strengthen its disaster response capacities.

This operation is overseen by MRC headquarters (HQ) based in Rabat. MRC has its own core staff for project management, finance, logistics, and human resources. MRC has a strong presence with a field office in Marrakech and sub-offices in Chichaoua and Taroudant. MRC has recruited 30 national staff and additional staff are being recruited to support the implementation of activities under this response. Further scaling up will continue based on identified needs and prepared plans. IFRC is also scaling up and recruiting international and national staff for this response.

German Red Cross (GRC), who had a pre-existing delegation, has also expanded its team in country. New partners have now also established new delegations in Morocco since the beginning of 2024, including French Red Cross, Spanish Red Cross and Qatar Red Crescent. All are in the process of clarifying their project plans for the upcoming future together with Moroccan Red Crescent and will contribute to the joint emergency appeal operational strategy and Federation-wide reporting.