Morocco Earthquake: Two Months Later, Village Struggles to Rebuild as Aid Workers Assess Damage

Hélène and Jean-Marc went to Ouirgane, a village located in the province of Al Haouz, the epicenter of the earthquake. "Some douars have been wiped off the map. In Ouirgane, we deplore about fifty deaths," they confide to Sud-ouest. On site, the two Bergeracois observe the difficult living conditions of the victims living under tents. "Water and electricity have returned, high school students are escorted to establishments in Marrakech and they benefit from psychological support. The yellow tents dot the mountain. They have formed small camps," details Hélène Cormier.

The president and treasurer of the Bergerac-Kenitra twinning committee are concerned about the situation of the victims who "will suffer a lot" during the approaching winter, if nothing is done to find them decent housing. The winter risks causing "as many deaths as the earthquake," warns Jean-Marc Cormier. To try to find a solution to this situation, Hélène and Jean-Marc met with the leaders of the Agni association for the development of Ouirgane, as well as those of the Tensift Regional Development Center, a Marrakech-based association, which is willing to build chalets for the victims.

"The situations are very varied. We have seen houses already repaired because they had frames and were only cracked, and other areas where everything is destroyed. The state will take charge of the reconstruction, but it will take one or two years to have a home again," explains the duo, who assure the commitment of the twinning committee to support the victims. In this sense, the funds collected during the traditional couscous evening scheduled for Saturday, November 4 and the solidarity concert scheduled for Friday, December 1 in Bergerac, with the choir of Sainte-Foy-des-Vignes and the Moroccan orchestra Anouar Al Anouar will be donated to these two local Moroccan associations. A call for donations has also been launched to build a chalet at a cost of 4,500 euros.