Moroccan earthquake survivors face freezing temperatures in eco-camp
Hafida Amaril survived the earthquake that killed about 3,000 people in western Morocco in September.
The 6.8-magnitude quake destroyed Kema, her village in the Atlas Mountains, and she has been living in a tent since then.
Authorities and relief organisations set up an eco-friendly camp for Ms Amaril and about 150 other survivors from Kema.
Ms Amaril, 33, said that while the camp provided shelter after the disaster, she, her three children and their neighbours wanted to go home.
She told The National that her daily routine was “torture”.
“Our lives begin when we enter our home, not when we leave it,” she said of the house where her children were born.
“While the camp preserved our dignity, we still lack basic needs. The tents don’t protect us from the freezing cold.”
The camp comprises 32 tents equipped with four bathrooms and four showers.
They are heated by solar energy and illuminated using solar lamps, said Kamel Zine, a member of the Union of Medical Care and Relief Organisations, which is operating in Morocco.
The group has provided non-perishable food, 150 blankets, beds, cleaning supplies and a 2.5km pipe to deliver water to the village from a spring.
For days after the quake on September 9, survivors in Kema had no shelter until relief workers set up a temporary home on a small plateau in the mountains.
Even before the earthquake, residents of remote villages faced tough challenges and an isolated existence.
When the tremor struck, survivors welcomed any help they could get.
“The situation was painful for them,” Elbachir Abounnaim, head of the Sanad Al Ajyal Agadir
charity, told The National. Days after the quake, members of the Union of Medical Care and Relief Organisations got to work with Sanad, Africa Relief and Idmaj Association to set up the eco-camp, which worked well in the autumn months.
Mr Abounnaim wants to build eco-friendly houses for each family but said it could be years before he had the funding.
Residents have struggled since colder weather set in.
Boujmaa Azeroual, 40, said villagers asked for electricity from authorities weeks ago, but have had no reply.
“We don’t even know if our village will be rebuilt or if we will be relocated,” said Mr Azeroual, who walks 2km every day to Kema in the hope of salvaging his belongings there.
“We cannot accept living in the camp.
“We want to return to the village where we grew up. Some have spent 95 years in the village, then suddenly found themselves in a tent.”
Camp life has many dangers. An 80-year-old woman was stung by a scorpion as she gathered firewood near by.
With no ambulance and the nearest hospital 25km away, the woman burnt open the wound to neutralise the effects of the venom.
The biting cold is unbearable, with temperatures often falling below zero in the winter, camp resident Hamid Boutament said.
“When it rains, the ground is wet and muddy, and the rain fills the tents even though there is 10cm-thick wooden insulator,” he said.
“The solar panels worked in the summer, but with the fog and the overcast sky, there isn’t enough sun and we cannot recharge the lamps or even our mobile phones.”
Mr Azeroual said some residents travelled several kilometres to charge their phones.
Ms Amaril said her two daughters stopped attending school.
The nearest primary school is about 7km from Kema and there is no transport.
“I sent my son away to live with his aunt so he can go to school,” she said.
“I don’t want my children to experience what happened to me. I want them to study and have a future.”
Camp life has many dangers, with a woman, 80, stung by a scorpion as she gathered firewood near by