Attachments
A. SITUATION ANALYSIS
I. Description of the crisis
On 8 September 2023, Morocco was struck by a 6.8 magnitude earthquake, centered in the High Atlas Mountains, 71km southwest of Marrakech. Followed by a 4.9 magnitude aftershock, the earthquake caused extensive damage to buildings and critical infrastructure throughout the provinces of El Haouz/Marrakech, Chichaoua and Taroudant as well as Ouarzazate and Azilal.
Remote villages near the epicentre in the Atlas Mountains have suffered substantial damage and emergency services faced difficulty reaching affected people due to damaged roads and challenging terrain.
Authorities have reported some 3,000 human casualties, and some 6,000 people injured as well as almost 60,000 houses destroyed or damaged in urban, peri-urban and rural areas. Schools, health facilities and other public amenities have also suffered severe damage.
Damage to houses and critical infrastructure is extensive in all affected areas, resulting in an urgent need for shelter and household essential support. To date, many people continue to live in tent settlements close to their damaged homes, and others are crowded in communal ‘displacement’ sites or informal shelters which lack electricity, proper water and sanitation, security and privacy.
Water and sanitation facilities have been greatly damaged or destroyed in many communities, exacerbating the risk and spread of diseases stemming from untreated water sources, poor hygiene practices and open defecation.
Communicable diseases, in particular, threaten people living in cramped tented settlements.
Primary health care services have been disrupted in affected areas, posing significant risk to people requiring services for chronic diseases and preventive care, including children and pregnant women. Medical, rehabilitation and psychosocial services are also limited, especially for those in rural areas, while interaction with affected people has shown a necessity to provide mental health and psychosocial support services together with other forms of humanitarian assistance.
Considerable damage to houses, buildings and infrastructure has also limited access to livelihoods in affected communities. Many people in remote areas rely on barter trade for survival and have found their resources destroyed or made inaccessible under the rubble of their damaged homes. Destruction of schools has also caused many children, especially girls, to temporarily stop their primary education, and for those who have returned to school, conditions were often very difficult or sometimes putting them at risk.
One year after the earthquake, the situation is evolving slowly with clearing of the rubbles and reconstruction. Many families still live with the devastating consequences of the earthquake and trauma is still very present. For many households, thinking of re-establishing normal living conditions is still premature and moving to a proper house remains their priority.