The devastating power of an unprecedented 6.8 mag- nitude earthquake shook Morocco on Sept., 13, leav- ing behind a trail of destruc- tion. Rescue teams across the region moved quickly to assist those affected.

Morocco was hit with a massive earthquake, leaving thousands of people home- less and worried about their future. At approximately 11:11 p.m. local time, the town of Marrakech, tucked in the Atlas Mountains, was shaken to its core. Ac- cording to Reuters.com, the death toll has reached 2,901; however, more lives remain lost in the rubble. The earth- quake affected towns such as Casablanca, Safi, Agadir and Tiznit.
Ben Deci, Senior Me- dia Officer of California Earthquake Authority, is saddened for the people of Morocco. During an inter- view he said, “It’s absolute- ly heartbreaking. Here in California, we have special empathy for earthquake victims worldwide be- cause we face similar risks. Earthquakes punctuate the timeline of our state’s his- tory. Most Californians live within 30 miles of an active fault.”

Reporter Alexander Cornwell of Reuters inter- viewed a nearby resident of Marrakech, Mehdi Ait Bouyali, who said, “The vil- lages of the valley have been forgotten. We need any kind of help. We need tents. There are some villages that still have the dead buried under the rubble.”

Current residents are liv-
ing in tents in nearby villag- es as their homes have been demolished.

Relief workers in Moroc- co are working as quickly as possible to find missing family members and aid survivors. New hospital tents were recently put up as resident doctors fear af- tershocks could affect vul- nerable hospital buildings, possibly resulting in more deaths. Over 5,200 injuries have been reported, but many remain missing.

Rescuers have been sent from surrounding coun- tries to help assist Morocco’s search teams. Italy, France and Germany’s extend- ed a hand of assistance to the countries of Morocco, though their offers remain unapproved. Roads have been blocked in remote ar- eas due to landslides, creat- ing a more strenuous trek
for rescue teams in the sur- rounding areas. The Prov- ince of Al Haouz was hit the hardest, resulting in over 1,500 deaths.

“There’s mounting ev- idence that construction materials and types of con- struction were important factors in how devastating this earthquake was,” said Deci. An emergency like this hit close to home for California residents because of the severity of the earth- quake and the similarities of a national crisis that can occur here. Deci continued, “At the California Earth- quake Authority, we believe there are a lot of opportu- nities to improve homes in California so they can better withstand a damag- ing earthquake. Part of our work is helping residents of this state retrofit their homes.”
The California Earth- quake Authority offers grant programs to those who have vulnerable homes to sudden earthquakes. They offer re- sources such as earthquake preparedness, safety, com- munity centers, and soft story retrofit opportunities. More information can be found on the CRMP’s web- site, californiaresidential- mitigationprogram.com/ resources.

For those looking for ways to help from home, one can donate to relief funds through Catholic Re- lief Services. Contributions can be made on the online website at crs.org. Dona- tions help provide food and water supplies, shelter, medical care and education/ training programs to help communities recover.

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