One Year After Morocco’s Earthquake: Ongoing Struggles in the High Atlas Region

One Year After the Earthquake: The Struggle Continues in Morocco’s High Atlas Region

The rescue teams and bystanders have long departed, yet the remnants of homes still lie in chaotic heaps alongside the rugged roads. As the one-year anniversary approaches of the devastating earthquake that claimed nearly 3,000 lives across Morocco’s High Atlas, villages such as Imi N’tala bear the scars of that fateful day. Here, entire blocks were decimated when a massive section of mountainside collapsed, obliterating most structures.

Amidst the broken bricks, twisted rebar, and fragments of kitchen floors, the debris has been somewhat organized into neater piles. Nearby, plastic tents serve as temporary shelters for the displaced residents, some of whom are still waiting for financial assistance to rebuild their homes, while others are awaiting approval for their reconstruction plans.

The aftermath of the earthquake in Imi N’tala and surrounding areas is stark. The region, characterized by impoverished agricultural villages, remains accessible only via bumpy, poorly maintained roads. Last week, Associated Press reporters revisited several of these villages ahead of the one-year mark, revealing the ongoing struggles of the residents.

In certain areas, residents have begun to take matters into their own hands, commencing the rebuilding of their homes without official permission. Meanwhile, others, weary of the oppressive conditions inside plastic tents, have either returned to their damaged homes or relocated to larger cities, leaving behind their former lives.

In towns like Amizmiz and Moulay Brahim, streets have been meticulously cleaned, yet the sight of cracked buildings and heaps of rubble remains largely unchanged since the days following the calamity. Despite the challenges, the rhythm of daily life has slowly resumed in some of the larger towns of the province, where rebuilding efforts are underway for roads, homes, schools, and businesses. Some residents have even received metal container homes as part of the recovery efforts. However, the majority of those displaced from the 55,000 homes destroyed by the quake continue to face vulnerability to the summer heat and winter cold, living in plastic tents and growing increasingly impatient to return to their previous lives.

Mohamed Soumer, a 69-year-old retiree who tragically lost his son in last year’s earthquake, expresses his frustration over being prohibited from rebuilding his home on the steep mountainside due to safety regulations. He and his wife now find themselves living in a plastic tent near the ruins of their former home, dreading the prospect of moving to a larger, more expensive area. “Residents want to stay here because they have land where they cultivate vegetables to sustain their livelihoods,” he explains. “If they were to abandon this place, they would struggle to survive elsewhere.”

In the aftermath of the earthquake, the government promised monthly stipends for households affected by the disaster, along with additional funds for constructing seismically safe homes. However, residents have reported that the distribution of these funds has been inconsistent, leaving many still waiting for financial assistance or the initiation of rebuilding efforts.

Frustration has grown among residents in towns like Amizmiz and villages such as Talat N’Yaqoub, where protests have erupted over living conditions. They have voiced their discontent regarding the sluggish pace of reconstruction and have called for increased investment in social services and infrastructure, which have long been neglected compared to Morocco’s urban centers and coastal regions.

Officials estimate that the total cost of rebuilding will reach 10.8 billion euros and that it will take approximately five years to complete. While the government has made some progress by reconstructing segments of rural roads, health centers, and schools, the commission responsible for overseeing the reconstruction acknowledged last week the urgent need to expedite the rebuilding of homes.