Morocco Quake Survivor: British Hotel Owner Recounts Harrowing Experience in Atlas Mountains

"I was awakened and I immediately knew it was an earthquake. I was in a room with my brother and I knew we couldn’t get out because we were on the ground floor and things were falling. I told him to get under the bed or near the bed," he tells Independent Mike McHugo. This travel specialist was in bed at 11:11 p.m. in his property, the Kasbah du Toubkal, located on the foothills of the highest mountain in North Africa, and near the village of Imlil, transformed into an eco-lodge when the earthquake occurred.

There was more fear than harm. "The entire building held up and I went out to take care of our clients and do the roll call. No member of our staff or any of our clients was injured. We then spent the night outdoors to avoid aftershocks. In the morning, we took stock and took care of our clients. The old kasbah itself was severely damaged and will probably have to be rebuilt rather than repaired. But the [newly built] rooms withstood remarkably well," continues the Briton.

He says he is happy to be alive. "I know I’m lucky to be alive, because I think if I had been in a different place, I probably wouldn’t be." But McHugo has lost his serenity. Since the earthquake, he feels like he’s "living on adrenaline." His wish is to continue to invest in the education of the children of the region. "Now that our clients are safe, I’m focusing on a charity I created, Education For All Morocco. This charity provides schools for girls in the region who would otherwise not have access to education." His organization will proceed with the partial repair or reconstruction of five of the six buildings that are nevertheless in better condition than most of the infrastructure in the region.

"The girls live in the most rural villages in Morocco, where you still find a lot of earth and stone for the buildings," he explains. The other sector that concerns him is tourism. He is betting on a rapid resumption of tourism activity in the region. "Life must resume its normal course, and that is what will happen. They will rebuild and come back," McHugo convinces himself.