2023 Morocco Earthquake

• In 2022, remittances from the Moroccan diaspora were among the highest in Africa and reached $10.75 billion, an increase of 16.5% from 2021. Remittances often increase briefly after a disaster, before returning to normal levels. Remittances are an important method for families to sustain and improve themselves. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake “exacerbating a broader economic contraction – could cost Morocco up to 8% of its GDP this year.”
• By Sept. 12, many people in the more remote and rural communities had migrated immediately to the larger cities of Marrakesh (which saw a 33% population increase and Taroudant (which had a 45% increase).
• “Moroccan authorities have not permitted foreign aid givers to work alone within the country,” according to the Association of Medical Doctors of Asia (ADMA), so they must pair up with local organizations. Through their assessment process, AMDA realized that Moroccan officials were adequately managing response and decided not to deploy more medical personnel.
• In many of the remote villages, houses are built from mud bricks. While a traditional and environmentally sustainable construction method, this means they are extremely vulnerable to natural hazards such as extreme rain or earthquakes. Experts say such traditional materials leave fewer chances for air pockets or spaces in which people can survive after buildings collapse to be formed.

As of Sept. 14, there were 2,946 deaths and 5,674 people injured. These numbers have not been updated or changed as of Oct. 23, but it is felt that this may still not be an accurate count.

The epicenter, Al-Haouz, saw more than half of the deaths, with a high number also occurring in Taroudant province. BBC said the earthquake, “left a vast, perilous field of strewn boulders, mud bricks and timber.”

Because earthquakes are so rare in this area of Morocco, buildings are not built to withstand the shaking from an earthquake. The newer buildings in Marrakesh survived much better than older buildings without the same safety standards. The Washington Post quoted a Maryland-based earthquake geologist, Wendy Bohon, who said, “Earthquakes don’t kill people. Buildings kill people.”

Moroccan authorities led all response activities, including search and recovery, ensuring adequate blood supply and sending food and critical non-food items to the most affected areas.

Moroccan Red Crescent teams provided physical and mental health care support, including transportation to hospitals for people with injuries. UN OCHA said, “His Majesty King Mohammed VI has instructed his government to expeditiously continue field relief efforts and provide care to the victims of the earthquake. He has also mobilized Mohammed V Foundation for Solidarity to support citizens in affected areas.”

On Sept. 15, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, spoke to reporters in Geneva and said, “the country has a distinguished history of building up and investing in its own response capacities, as well as the incredible generosity of local organizations and volunteers from across the country. The Moroccan Government has mobilized tremendous resources to respond to the earthquake, pulling survivors from the rubble, providing medical care and distributing essential aid. Mr. Griffiths reiterated that the United Nations stands ready to support the immediate and longer-term national efforts, including on coordination.”

Morocco did not issue an appeal for international assistance, instead, it selected which international offers of support it would take. Professor Sylvie Brunel at Paris-Sorbonne University is the former President of Action Against Hunger. She told Le Figaro, “King Mohamed VI therefore wants to keep control of his country. It is also a form of national pride … International humanitarian aid always flows from developed to undeveloped countries. As an emerging country, which wants to be an interlocutor with Europe and which aspires to the status of regional power in Africa, Rabat wants to show that it is sovereign, capable of managing relief, and not behave like a poor country..”

The New York Times reported that in the immediate aftermath that the government hadn’t shared much information, and some Moroccans on social media criticized the government’s response as “slow and uncoordinated.”

In the mountain village of Douar Tnirt, people received supplies from a charity in Marrakesh on Sunday, three days after the earthquake, but still had not seen any government assistance. The lack of government support motivated locals to engage in mutual aid and support, providing for each other’s needs without a coordinated plan from Moroccan officials. There are also pre-existing international, national and local non-profits who have been responding since the earthquake hit. CDP maintains a list of these organizations and can help funders decide where to donate.

The first 72 hours after an earthquake are known as the “golden period” when rescuers are most likely to find survivors. It is important that a comprehensive search and rescue effort is carried out during this time. All but seven of the people whose bodies were found as of Sept. 12 were buried in rubble. The government responded to criticism that they were not taking all the offered assistance by pointing out the logistical challenges in moving large numbers of people to remote and rural villages. They felt that they had enough people to clear roads to provide access for search teams.

As the Associated Press reports, “Quickly getting them to Morocco’s disaster zone in the Atlas Mountains could have been tough. Roads and dirt tracks that can be hard to navigate at the best of times were destroyed and blocked by fallen rocks. Morocco also has bad memories of chaotic international aid that followed another deadly quake in 2004. After the latest temblor, the Interior Ministry cautioned that poorly coordinated aid ‘would be counterproductive.’”

According to the World Food Programme, 7.1 million people (about 18%) in the country do not have sufficient food consumption. However, prior to the earthquake, the Global Hunger Index related Morocco as having low hunger issues (9.9).

The GHI is based on four key indicators. “Undernourishment: the share of the population with insufficient caloric intake. Child stunting: the share of children under age five who have low height for their age, reflecting chronic undernutrition. Child wasting: the share of children under age five who have low weight for their height, reflecting acute undernutrition. Child mortality: the share of children who die before their fifth birthday, partly reflecting the fatal mix of inadequate nutrition and unhealthy environments.”

In 2022 in Morocco, undernourishment was a concern for a slightly larger share of the population 5.6% of the population, representing an increase from 4.1% in 2014. However, for children under 5 years old there were decreases across the board: child stunting affected 15.1% (from 15.8% in 2014), child wasting 2.6% (from 3.1% in 2014) and child mortality 1.9% (from 2.5% in 2014).

Not everyone believes the official numbers. In 2021, The People’s Dispatch reported, “Activists in Morocco who see the reality on the ground, have little faith in these official numbers. They attribute what they call a substantial underestimation to the government’s lack of will to accurately report on the situation, made possible due to the control of the monarchical system. Additionally, activists remark that the immense social stigma attached to ‘hunger’ in the country means that many people will not admit to their situation. The numbers are especially hard to believe given that the national rate of multidimensional poverty among children is 39.7% and in rural areas, this number is as high as 68.7%. Multidimensional poverty considers factors such as access to education, healthcare, water, hygiene, housing, and food and nutrition.”

Al Haouz is mostly an agrarian province. There has been an extensive drought in the area, affecting agricultural production, including food.

Help Age International reported up to half a million people over 60 lived in the affected area. “Older people face very high risks in the aftermath of an earthquake. They are particularly vulnerable to shock and trauma and often take longer to recover from injuries, while needing urgent and specific medical assistance. The hardship caused when forced to sleep outside in difficult conditions can be particularly challenging for older people and they often struggle to access what aid is offered as well as other essential items such as regular medicine for chronic health conditions, the supply of which is often disrupted.

With aftershocks and an increasing death toll expected, there is a high risk that further damage is to come, compounding the needs of those most at risk.”

At least 78,000 homes were damaged or destroyed by the earthquake. In the aftermath, many people slept outside, under tarps, in tents or in their cars, either because their home was damaged or destroyed or because they were afraid of aftershocks. Tents and temporary shelters were erected to help people survive during the rebuilding phase.

It is critical that people get moved into more secure and stable housing as the rainy season and winter draw closer. During winter – November to April – temperatures at night may drop below freezing and it frequently snows.

CARE Morocco’s National Director, Hlima Razkaoui said, “With thousands of families affected by the recent earthquake in the High Atlas mountains sleeping in the open and winter around the corner, dignified shelter is an urgent priority. The first phase of the emergency focused on saving lives and feeding the survivors, but it is now also imperative to provide them with shelter … Women, girls, and people with disabilities are particularly vulnerable at such times. With rains starting and winter nearing, we simply don’t have the luxury to wait.”

Project Hope was also very concerned about the rural and remote communities. In the immediate aftermath, they conducted assessments through SAMU-Maroc, which used mobile medical units to reach people without access to care. They found that main highways had some aid, but “smaller villages, called ‘duars,’ do not have access to health care and residents are unable to travel to points of service. Many of the duars that our partners were able to visit were completely destroyed, with little shelter left. Government officials have distributed five tents per duar, but some duars are home to almost 100 people.  Project HOPE’s team was able to visit Aoulouz, a larger town in Taroudant Province that sustained serious damage. There were at least 200 tents propped up in informal settlements amongst the ruins. It is estimated that at least 1,000 people are living in the tents with no evidence of clear and consistent access to clean water or proper sanitation facilities, including toilets or showers.”

Related to shelter, are the adjacent needs of mattresses and blankets, solar lighting and safe cooking supplies.

Children are a highly vulnerable population after a disaster. While the number of families who have been affected or displaced is not known yet, it can be anticipated that many will need recovery assistance. Families may be displaced due to the destruction of their homes or because they are afraid of aftershocks causing more damage.

UNICEF stated that “Longer-term, children and families affected will need shelter, safe drinking water, health and medical help, and food and nutrition support. Child protection services including psychosocial support will be critical in helping children and parents process their distressing experiences. Getting children back into school is also critical for their long-term recovery.”

About 100,000 children were affected and 530 schools, along with 55 boarding schools, were damaged or destroyed. Interruptions in schooling can increase risks of children not returning to education in the future.