By Sam Metz
AMIZMIZ, Morocco (AP ) – Rachid alachoun washes on his roof, a 40 years old plumber. One half is still standing, while the remaining half lies in piles on rocks that can be seen from the rooftop.
Alachoun survived near the epicenter when an earthquake struck Morocco last Friday. Authorities report 2,946 dead and several thousands injured.
The man has lived in Amizmiz in Amizmiz’s old Jewish neighborhood, Mellah. Even though he must walk over boulders or wires in order to access his kitchen and bedroom, he still stays in Amizmiz. He claimed that the tent provided by authorities was not large enough for him to accommodate his entire family.
He continues to live his normal life.
There are chairs that have been covered by the dust left behind from the walls. Items too heavy to move, such as tables, fridges and washing machines are trapped within.
On the stove, he uses a claypot to cook chicken, carrots, and olives. This is particularly true when the aftershocks hit, such as Thursday’s 4.6-magnitude.
Alachouns learned last weekend that aid was being sent. Although food and water were delivered, they did not have shelter until authorities gave them one small yellow tent in the middle of a town square.
Then they told us that the supplies were coming. Loubna Alachoun, Alachoun’s older sister, spoke to Loubna from her tent in coated polyester, where she lives with Alachoun, another brother and their parents, along with a friend.
Alachouns among Moroccans asking about futures. Especially as the nights become colder and Winter approaches. Even though many villagers were provided with food and drinking water, officials said it would take at least five or six years to reconstruct towns in High Atlas.
The old Jewish Quarter in Marrakech has been reconstructed. But in Al Haouz (the province that was hardest hit), the focus is on urgent humanitarian needs.
Alachouns, however, are determined to stay. People in the region, who are mostly Amazigh – Morocco’s largest native group – cling to their roots and identify themselves as belonging. Alachouns do not believe that they could receive any kind of financial help to purchase an apartment for them and their family near Marrakech.
Families with young children are often in this situation.
Naima ait Brahim ouali, who is a domestic cleaner, was living with five of her children on the top floor in Sourejdid (now destroyed), a district in Amizmiz. She said that she and her child fell as their apartment building was shook by an earthquake.
The entire area has been relocated in a small corner within a tent-city located at the centre of town. She fears for her future and that of five children, ages 25, 19, 14, 10 – some who had only just begun their schooling last week.
One of her girls is passionate about Quran. She has two sons who are very talented at drawing and acting. The fear now strikes about 11 pm, which is the time of the earthquake last Friday.
She tells her daughter, who also has nightmares about death, that “they saw death”.
UNICEF – the United Nations’ agency for aid to children – estimated this past week that about 100,000 children had “been impacted by a powerful earthquake.” That figure followed an earlier U.N. estimation that was 300,000 affected. Morocco is home to about one-third its population, which includes children.
UNICEF spokeswoman Ricardo Pires stated that the organization’s concern during humanitarian catastrophes was the trauma associated with displacement. It also emphasized the need for basic necessities for children like clean drinking water and access to medical supplies.
“Children are taken from their family.” Pires noted that the children might have been displaced or on the move and didn’t know where they could go for safety. The risk is high in disasters that affect the humanitarian community or during earthquakes.
Ait Brahim Ouali says that, despite the fact that government will provide funds for reconstruction, she won’t live in a brick apartment building with multiple levels. She has decided to stay in Al Haouz regardless of the challenges she and her family face.
“We fear the future.” The earthquake happened just as we were starting a new school, but it ruined our plans. “We only want to have a shelter from the rain.”
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