On Sept. 8, Morocco fell victim to a magnitude 6.8 earthquake. The earthquake struck southwest of Marrakech, in the Al Haouz province, killing more than 3,000 people. The neighboring nations of Algeria and Portugal felt the earthquake as well.
The earthquake affected the wealthier cities of Morocco, however its epicenter was in the poorer mountain regions. This caused disproportionate damage in these regions which were underprepared for a major earthquake.
Due to the unenforced building standards of the towns around the earthquake’s epicenter, most buildings in this region were constructed from unreinforced brick and masonry. Amizmiz, a town in the mountains about 20 miles from the epicenter, was almost entirely destroyed. Nearly 3,000 residents have lost their lives from the collapsing infrastructure and debris. Tafeghaghte, a small neighboring town, was also reduced to nearly nothing and had a death toll of about 90 residents.
Fortunately, Marrakech has more modern and enforced building standards. There is little to no damage to the infrastructure in the city.
However, many historic sites that have been protected for centuries have been destroyed, including the Tinmal Mosque, Kutubiyya Mosque, and the Marrakesh Jewish Quarter, leveling them to dust.
The remote towns near the epicenter waited days for emergency aid as boulders and debris landslides made the rescue effort impossible. As Morocco struggles to recover, the government is criticized for its management of the disaster recovery.
Nearly a week after the earthquake in Morocco made headlines, on the night of Sept. 10 and 11, in the aftermath of Storm Daniel, floods battered the northern Libyan town of Derna.
Despite warning by the government, most residents ignored the evacuation attempts as a false alarm and refused to leave, leading to over 3,000 deaths and tens of thousands of injuries.
According to estimates by the United Nations Satellite Center (UNOSAT), about 30,000 buildings were damaged by the water. The UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports about 40,000 people were displaced from the storm, 30,000 of them because of the floods.
The authoritarian government has cracked down on dissidents in the area leading to a worsened effect for the residents. Along with the crackdown, the president turned away a U.N aid convoy with much needed supplies for the residents.
Far from the calamities hitting Northern Africa, one of the many ways to help the situation in Morocco and Libya is through donations. Donations can be made to non-profits and aid groups such as the Global Empowerment Mission, the Red Cross, UNICEF, and the World Relief Organization to make sure the much needed aid reaches the areas affected.
