The 6.8 magnitude earthquake which struck Morocco at 11pm local time on Friday 8 September has caused over 3,000 deaths and affected 300,000 people across the country. Whole villages have been reduced to rubble, leaving thousands of people internally displaced and without shelter. The epicentre was in the High Atlas Mountains.
World Jewish Relief launched an emergency appeal to respond to the crisis, to support vulnerable communities who were badly affected by the earthquake, in hard-to-reach towns and villages in the Atlas Mountains.
Hundreds of aftershocks have caused further damage to already fragile homes. The impact of this crisis will be felt for many years. In the mountains it is warm during the day, but freezing at night so shelter is essential.
World Jewish Relief is supporting vulnerable communities in six hard-to-reach, badly affected villages that have received little humanitarian support so far. These villages are all located close to the epicentre of the earthquake in the High Atlas Mountains, in the Tlet Yacoub municipality.
“These villages need adequate shelter and the chance to rebuild their crops and shattered livelihoods all before winter sets in, which makes the high mountain roads – treacherous at the best of times – totally impassable.” – Kai Hopkins, Head of Humanitarian Programmes at World Jewish Relief
In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, World Jewish Relief collaborated with the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), our well-placed local partner the High Atlas Foundation, and the wider Moroccan Jewish community, to provide strong, durable tents and solar powered lights to 1,800 people.
World Jewish Relief is now working with another local partner, the Moroccan Biodiversity Livelihoods Association (MBLA), to help affected communities prepare for winter. MBLA have a deep history of working in the High Atlas Mountains and intimately know the needs of the communities they work in. Thanks to its supporters, World Jewish Relief will provide effective gas heaters and sustainable toilet facilities which are critical for hygiene purposes.
Help provide life-saving support to people affected by the Morocco Earthquake here.
September 9 2023 Update
Last night, Morocco was hit by a devastating 6.8 magnitude earthquake. Over 1,000 people have died, and many more injured. World Jewish Relief and its partners are monitoring the situation closely.
The epicentre of the quake was in central Morocco in the Atlas Mountains, 44 miles south-west of Marrakesh. The worst affected communities are in hard-to-reach regions in the mountains, and therefore the extent of the destruction is not yet known.
The earthquake struck late at night at 11pm local time, when many people would have been in their homes, causing more damage and loss of life.
The Moroccan government and international community is responding quickly to needs. Aftershocks are also expected to cause further destruction and evacuations are taking place.
The next 48-72 hours are critical in the search and rescue operation.
World Jewish Relief continues to monitor the situation closely and is in contact with partners operating in the area.
