“I watched as the whole hotel
quaked, like it was made of cardboard, swinging from side to side.” Widad
Bilhaj, a hotelier, was sitting outside by her hotel’s swimming pool when the
earthquake struck Morocco, she said that the usually peaceful pool was rocking
like it was a turbulent sea, nearly a foot of its water was emptied by the
shakes. Meanwhile, she waited outside as her husband rushed into the building
to lead anyone asleep outside.
اضافة اعلان
It
was also astonishing how long it lasted. The quake endured for nearly a minute,
a duration that felt uncomfortably extended when experiencing the powerful
tremors it produced, leaving one feeling unsteady.
A sound of explosions, complete darknessAnother interviewee,
who wishes to remain anonymous, recounted waking up to the quakes. At first,
there was fear of something even more severe occurring. They described the
loud, recurrent bangs, resembling a series of explosions, each one sounding as
if it originated right beneath their feet. Their room was plunged into complete
darkness due to the power cuts, adding to the confusion. If they could see
anything, they would look around frantically, much like I did, only to witness
everything shaking—a slow realization that an
earthquake had struck.
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What
had actually happened?
In the hours
following the quake, every person found themselves making and receiving dozens
of phone calls, checking on the well-being of their friends and family. The
calls served a dual purpose: to seek an understanding of what had transpired
and to gauge the scale of the event, trying to discern if it was even real.
Each subsequent call offered some degree of confirmation amid the bewildering
late-night chaos.
Many today
reported the misinformation that was spread merely hours before, the constantly
oscillating Richter scale figures, and, most important for them was where the
epicenter was. Early reports had people saying that Agadir was the point of
origin, then the figure moved to south-west of Agadir, between it and
Marrakech; most people learned this morning of the actual center being from the Atlas Mountains, Marrakech and its surrounding towns and villages having
been hit the hardest.
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Many we spoke to spoke of hearing news and
panicking, if it was this severe a quake in Marrakech, how severe must it be in
the falsely claimed epicenters they had heard of?
Numerical information insignificant to the pressing
questions
As time passed, news
sites began to provide coverage, revealing the magnitude of the
earthquake on the Richter scale (6.8). However, this numerical information seemed
insignificant in comparison to the pressing questions: Were everyone's loved
ones safe? Had any homes collapsed? Social media became the next destination
for answers.
But for some this was not possible.
In many parts of Marrakech, the power went out. During his interview with
Jordan News, Elias Hinde, a
cardiologist, said that he watched as fuse boxes in his neighborhood were going
alight, seeing the occasional pop in the distance, especially apparent in the
blacked-out horizon due to the power cuts. There was no internet for many, and so
any without network connectivity were in the dark, unable to find any
information on what had happened.
A
beautiful sky amidst a devastating scene
This was all contrasted by everyone
stepping outside with what belongings they felt they needed, staring up at the
sky, which was shockingly beautiful. The stars were out, with the arm of the
milky way shining above us.
A
wall had collapsed in their homes
Meanwhile, Sofian Boumhicha, a
waiter from Marrakech, told
Jordan News about the events in downtown Marrakech, the oldest part of the city. Some of
his friends had to call their workplaces to inform them they could not be in
today as a wall had collapsed in their homes.
On Friday night, the police in the old town went door to door, urging everyone
to stay outdoors, as they
anticipated a second earthquake. In fact, two more
tremors were felt, but fortunately, they were minor and caused little to no
damage. Public schools were opened up to provide outdoor spaces for people, and
as I drove around Marrakech this morning, I saw hundreds of people with
mattresses outside, suddenly fearful of being under a roof.
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Many are anxious about Marrakech’s historical sites
Many are also anxious
about Marrakech's historical sites. A video went viral showing Jemaa el-Fna, an
11th-century mosque, wobbling and cracking during the earthquake. Thankfully,
this historic site will remain standing, albeit slightly less stable. However,
another mosque in the same square did collapse. While not as ancient, it held
significant importance as part of the largest square in Marrakech, which
welcomes millions of visitors every year.
Nowhere
has escaped the large cracks running down its walls
As I toured the city of Marrakech today, it became evident that nowhere has
escaped the large cracks running down its walls. The tremors have left many
residents shaken, with each person making and receiving dozens of phone calls
to check on their family and friends. The bulk of the significant damage is
actually not in the urban centers, but
in the high mountainous areas, their villages and small towns. Within the city
the damage was limited to the old town, its historical significance being a double-edged sword, compounded by the density of these
city districts where no structures adhere to modern building codes.
But fortunately, this morning the markets were
still operational, and also busy. The damage was limited to a few buildings
rather than being a general widespread destruction, and people continued with
their daily lives, collecting and sweeping the rubble in the slim alleyways.
Most people were safe, and many we spoke to were
mostly grateful the damage was as limited as it was.
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