HM King Mohammed VI, may Allah assist Him, chaired, on September 14 at the Royal Palace in Rabat, a working meeting on the activation of the emergency program for rehousing disaster victims and caring for the people most affected by Al Haouz earthquake.
Here follows a statement by the Royal Office:
“His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may Allal assist Him, chaired, on September 14, 2023, at the Royal Palace in Rabat, a working meeting on the activation of the emergency program for rehousing disaster victims and caring for the people most affected by Al Haouz earthquake, which was the subject of Royal Directives given during the working session chaired by the Sovereign on September 9, 2023.
This meeting is part of a series of measures ordered by His Majesty the King, to rapidly and effectively mobilize all resources to help families and citizens affected by the disaster, and rapidly launch rehabilitation and reconstruction measures in the areas affected by this natural disaster of unprecedented magnitude.
The first draft of the rehousing program presented to the Sovereign, which was prepared by the inter-ministerial commission established on His Majesty’s instructions, focuses on approximately 50,000 totally or partially collapsed homes in the five provinces affected.
This draft covers, on the one hand, a series of emergency temporary rehousing measures, particularly through adapted forms of accommodation on site and in structures designed to withstand cold and bad weather, or in reception sites equipped with all the necessary commodities. In addition, the State will grant emergency aid of MAD 30,000 to the families concerned.
In this regard, the Sovereign emphasized to the relevant authorities the extremely high priority of the rehousing operation, which must be carried out fairly and with constant awareness of the needs of the populations concerned.
On the other hand, the program calls for immediate reconstruction actions to be deployed following preliminary expertise operations and land preparation and stabilization work. To this end, direct financial assistance of MAD 140,000 has been allocated to totally collapsed homes, while MAD 80,000 has been allocated to cover rehabilitation work on partially collapsed homes.
His Majesty the King also stressed the need for the reconstruction operation to be carried out in accordance with a set of specifications and under technical and architectural supervision consistent with the region’s heritage and respectful of its unique architectural features.
Moreover, during the same working session, His Majesty the King reiterated his High Directives for a strong, fast, and proactive response, while respecting local people’s dignity, customs, and heritage. In addition to remedying the damage caused by the earthquake, these measures will also launch a thorough, integrated, and ambitious program for the reconstruction and general upgrading of the affected regions, both in terms of infrastructure reinforcement and improving the quality of public services.
This multifaceted program will mainly mobilize the State’s financial resources and those of public institutions, and will also be open to contributions from private stakeholders and associations, as well as from brotherly and friendly countries wishing to contribute, and to whom His Majesty the King reiterates the Kingdom of Morocco’s most sincere thanks.
During the meeting, His Majesty the King, may Allah assist Him, also pointed out the equally crucial issue of immediate care for orphaned children, who found themselves with no family or resources. In this regard, the Sovereign has given his High Directives to register these children and grant them the status of ward of the nation.
In order to relieve them from the current distressing situation and protect them from all the risks and vulnerabilities incurred by natural disasters, His Majesty the King, may Allah assist Him, has ordered the government to pass the necessary adoption bill as soon as possible.
Thanks to the vision and action of its Sovereign, Morocco demonstrates once again the resilience that characterizes the Kingdom, enabling it to overcome hardships and challenges with strength, wisdom, and determination, supported by the strength of its institutions and the solidarity and generosity of its people.
The working meeting was attended by the Head of Government, Aziz Akhannouch, His Majesty the King’s Advisor, Fouad Ali El Himma, Minister of Interior, Abdelouafi Laftit, Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs, Ahmed Toufiq, Minister of Economy and Finance, Nadia Fettah Alaoui, Minister of National Planning, Urban Planning, Housing, and Urban Policy, Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, Minister Delegate to the Minister of Economy and Finance in charge of the Budget, Faouzi Lekjaa, and Inspector General of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) and Commander of the Southern Zone, Lieutenant General Mohammed Berrid.”
