Morocco a country of diversity with ancient cities, rugged mountains, sweeping deserts, both Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines and greets visitors with warm hospitality.  

A country now devastated by a 6.8 magnitude earthquake, the deadliest seismic event this country has experienced in more than a century that sent people fleeing their homes in terror and disbelief, buildings toppled in mountainous villages and ancient cities which were not built to withstand such force. Remote villages like those in the drought stricken Ouargane Valley have largely been cut off from the world.   

The earthquake’s epicentre was near the rural town of Ighil in Al Haouz Province, some 70 kilometres south of Marrakech, a town known for scenic villages and valleys tucked in the High Atlas Mountains. The death toll currently stands at over 2,600 people and over 2,500 people have been injured, many of them seriously, then there are thousands more who are now homeless and now there is a race to save survivors with a fear of aftershocks.  

A few days later, Libya – the fourth largest country in North Africa and some 2,500 kilometres away from Morocco – came under flood from Storm Daniel.  The storm has wreaked havoc in the eastern city of Derna where two dams have burst after torrential rains and a wall of water deluged the city and sliced out the land from beneath its inhabitants. Telecommunications have been interrupted, roads have been damaged and electricity towers have come down, hampering rescue efforts and causing further hardship for survivors.  It has been reported that more than 6,000 people have died with over 10,000 people still missing with the possibility of much more as whole families may have been washed away with no survivors to report some losses.  There are so many more towns inundated resulting in tens of thousands of people being displaced.  

Search and rescue efforts are ongoing in both countries with the death toll rising.

Immediate needs include getting essentials like food, water, emergency shelter and medicine to families affected by the earthquake and flood, while preparing for the long-term needs of people who no longer have homes to return to.

Caritas agencies in both regions are assessing the scale of the damage and are coordinating with local authorities and other organisations to see how they can best assist.  Your generous support can help provide relief to families as they recover and rebuild from these disasters.  

To donate visit the Caritas website or call 1800 024 413 to provide much needed support to families affected by the Morocco earthquake and floods in Libya. 

By Kate Baines

Source:  Caritas.org.au

Images: Libya flood photo by Jamal Alkomaty, AP and Morocco earthquake source AP