Weather exacerbates quake-affected communities' plight as authorities process complaints

While Moroccans were happy to receive recent rain and snowfall, residents of the areas affected by the September 8 earthquake did not share the same feeling, as they are still under tents, waiting for reconstruction of their homes to accelerate, according to  the General Directorate of Meteorology.

The weather will remain “cold until the end of the week, as different regions of the Kingdom will be on a date with rainfall, including the Atlas regions, and the Atlas Highlands and the Rif will see snowfall at the end of this week.”

Civil activists in the earthquake-affected areas confirmed “the high level of suffering coinciding with the recent rain and snowfall, as it came at a time when the rehabilitation and reconstruction process is still slow,” emphasizing the urgent need to “accelerate the process and keep pace with the population during this turbulent period.”

“The suffering of the local population is still ongoing, as the recent rain and even snowfalls have contributed to deepening their suffering, as they have not yet been able to return to normal life despite the fact that we have spent the first six months after the incident,” said Mohammed Belhassen, coordinator of the earthquake victims representation in Amezmiz.

“Even the issue of government compensation has not yet been resolved, as there are citizens who are still waiting for an answer from the authorities about complaints they filed earlier, asserting their right to benefit,” Belhassen told Hespress, noting that “a percentage of the local population in the Amezmiz region has been able to remove the rubble, which could reach up to 25%.”

“No tangible progress has yet been made compared to what was hoped for; the slow pace is still the most prominent title in this regard, as the reality in the region cannot be denied in any way, especially in light of the cold weather and the possibility of increasing the level of cold in the coming period,” he said, calling for “intensifying efforts to get tens of thousands of citizens out of this situation they have been living in for more than half a year.”

“Given that more than six months have passed since the earthquake, it is fair to say that the reconstruction and rehabilitation process is slow, as the affected population is still waiting for a return to normalcy and access to housing, which is clearly still out of reach,” said Abdelhamid Bejaieh, media spokesman for the Al-Houz Coordination of the Civil Coalition.

“The bad weather conditions have further complicated the task for the locals, considering that the areas affected by the September 8 earthquake, like all regions of the Kingdom, are currently experiencing rain and even snowfall, and we know that most of the areas affected by the earthquake are mountainous areas more than a thousand meters above sea level,” he told Hespress.

“Staying under plastic tents under these conditions remains an adventure, as a number of heads of families are forced to stay in these tents instead of going to work outside the region in case of any emergency because the reconstruction has not yet been completed,” he said, concluding that “the previous wave of solidarity has faded, while living in plastic tents cannot be continued.”

On the contrary, a source from the Agouatim community in the Al Haouz region revealed that “things have started to improve compared to the past, as the various issues that were previously raised have been considered, considering that a significant percentage of the complaints received by the collective and regional authorities have been responded to.”

The same source highlighted, in a statement to Hespress, that “rights holders have benefited from the compensation approved by the government authorities, including monthly compensation and compensation for restoration or reconstruction,” pointing out that “local authorities are taking into account the cold weather and are prepared for any development in this context.”

Regarding the information about 70 meters as the measurement of the houses to be built, the same collective source indicated that “this is correct”, considering that “these measurements were determined by the authorities in charge, and although they are less than before, they are still sufficient for the affected families according to the number of their members.”