By Mohamed Touzani
Three months after the violent earthquake that plunged the Marrakech region in central Morocco into mourning, life seems to have returned to normal in the affected areas.
A state programme on post-earthquake reconstruction has seen residents rebuild homes that were damaged in a disaster that left nearly 3,000 people dead and 5,000 others injured.
Moroccans will long remember the nightmare they experienced on the evening of 7 September 2023, when the earth shook strongly at around 23:30 (GMT+1) in the vast mountainous area of the High Atlas, near the famous tourist city of Marrakech.
Several other nearby towns were also affected in the centre and north of the country by the powerful earthquake that measured 7 degrees on the Richter scale.
Thousands of them spent the night under the stars for fear of aftershocks. They looked in horror as their fellow compatriots were buried under the rubble or simply found themselves without shelter in the wake of the disaster.
But the next day, fear and anxiety gave way to an extraordinary show of spontaneous public solidarity with those affected.
This immense outpour of empathy for the victims spread to all the major cities, villages and towns of the Kingdom, with food, medicines, milk, tents and clothing being donated.
Humanitarian efforts
The appeals for help launched by victims in the early hours of the tragedy, and relayed on social networks, were also widely echoed by members of the powerful Moroccan diaspora, who organised collections of medicines, equipment and tents from abroad.
The images of convoys of lorries filled with tonnes of food and blankets making their way along the winding roads in several places in the High Atlas were shown on television channels around the world.
The refusal of the Moroccan authorities - anxious to demonstrate that they were capable of managing the rescue operations with their own resources - to receive aid from some countries sparked heated controversy.
French President Emmanuel Macron openly displayed his displeasure at the Kingdom's acceptance of aid from several countries but refused help offered by France.
International NGOs have contributed their valuable experience to help find survivors and extract the dead from the rubble.
This was the case in particular for the Turkish Humanitarian Aid Foundation (IHH), whose volunteers travelled to several villages in the High Atlas to alleviate the suffering of people in the affected mountainous areas.
They distributed food, blankets and hygiene products to women and children - who were hard hit by the disaster.
The Turkish NGO has a wealth of experience in the field, having taken part in a number of humanitarian operations in Türkiye and in other countries hit by natural disasters.
The day after the disaster, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also expressed his condolences to the "brotherly" Moroccan people and pledged Türkiye's support "at this difficult time".
"May God have mercy on those who lost their lives, and I wish a speedy recovery to the injured. We support our Moroccan brothers in every way we can on this difficult day", the Turkish President said.
Cash aid to victims
Hundreds of people were be rescued from under the rubble, accommodation sites to be set up for those left homeless and temporary treatment centres provided medical attentions to those injured in the earthquake.
As part of this effort, the Moroccan army has set up several field hospitals offering medical care in all specialities, including psychological support for people who lost loved ones.
But once the search and rescue operations were completed, the delicate task of rehousing the victims and rebuilding their homes and areas destroyed had to begin as quickly as possible.
A special fund for managing the effects of the earthquake that hit the Kingdom of Morocco" was set up for this purpose to receive contributions from citizens, private companies and public bodies.
More than 11 billion dirhams in donations (nearly $1.2 billion) has been collected through the special fund, in addition to the sums mobilised by the state for the rebuilding programme, according to the country's finance ministry.
The government has decided to grant direct financial aid of 140,000 dirhams ($14,000) to rebuild homes that have completely collapsed, and 80,000 dirhams ($8,000) to cover the cost of rehabilitating partially damaged homes.
Those left homeless will also receive a monthly allowance of 2,500 dirhams ($250) for a year, pending the reconstruction of their homes.
An "Agency for the Development of the Grand Atlas", the area hit by the earthquake, has been set up to coordinate all the operations planned as part of this reconstruction and rehabilitation process "while respecting the environment, cultural heritage and local traditions", according to the Moroccan authorities.
The aim is also to implement socio-economic development projects in these areas, the same sources added.
Three months after the earthquake, the reconstruction process is well under way: housing reconstruction operations are under way in all the affected areas, with technical support from the authorities, who are now monitoring compliance with seismic standards.
Winter is fast approaching and the mountains above these areas have begun to receive their first snowflakes.
Analysts say it could take many more months or years to complete the work towards reconstruction and resettlement of those affected by the disaster.
