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| Situation Update No. 1 Ref.no.: FF-20091225-24299-MAR
Situation Update No. 1
On 2009-12-28 at 21:06:50 [UTC]
Event: Flash Flood
Location: Morocco Tangiers, Strait of Gibraltar, Tetouan area, Agadir region
Number of Deads: 5 person(s)
Situation: Torrential rain and heavy flooding in Morocco have claimed five lives and caused injuries and serious damage since bad weather began last week. The floods have inundated workplaces and homes in several parts of the country, including Agadir, Chichaoua and Taza. Gale-force winds off the Strait of Gibraltar created seven-metre high waves, worsening coastal flooding. Farther inland, severe floods also affected Marrakech, where a number of injuries were recorded. In Casablanca's old quarter, 24 families were evacuated after their rain-swamped houses collapsed. "The authorities are ready to deal with any emergency", Interior Minister Chakib Benmoussa told Cabinet members on December 24th, adding that a monitoring group was working with local and provincial committees "to implement operational plans to protect people and property and help people who are at risk or disaster-stricken". But many Moroccans fear a repeat of last year's floods, which devastated agriculture and industry and left many families homeless. "The flooding is not as bad as last year's, but it has affected quite a few manufacturers," said Adil Rais, who heads the Association of the Industrial Zone of Mghougha in Tangier. He claimed that local officials had failed to implement needed flood-prevention measures in time. "Manufacturers can't operate with peace of mind unless they are given a guarantee that the [flood-prevention] work will be carried out and completed swiftly," he said. The floods have also affected farmers, including Mhemmed Madifni, who said that those whose fields were flooded last year had to work twice as hard this year. Local authorities are doing their best to hold back the deluge. Ahmed Daoud, the head of the rural council in Chellalat, said that he and his colleagues were using all available human and material resources to cope with the rising water. But he appealed to authorities for more assistance for farmers. Khalid Zerouali, who heads the government's monitoring committee, told Magharebia that all concerned departments are represented on the committee and are working together to handle the effects of the bad weather. |  | | | |
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