Days after a severe earthquake that killed close to 2,900 people, the Red Cross made an urgent appeal for more than $100 million to help in Morocco.
“We are seeking 100 million Swiss francs ($112 million) to be able to deliver on the most pressing needs at this time,” Caroline Holt, global director of operations at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), told reporters in Geneva.
She emphasized that “we need to make sure we avoid a second wave of disaster,” saying that the monies were needed for “health, water, sanitation and hygiene, shelter relief items, and basic needs.”
In a race against time, search and rescue teams from Morocco and overseas continued to sift through the debris of collapsed mud-brick homes on Tuesday.
The 6.8-magnitude earthquake on Friday was the strongest ever recorded in Morocco.
Since the destruction of Agadir on the Atlantic coast by an earthquake in 1960, which killed between 12,000 and 15,000 people, it was the deadliest to strike the nation of North Africa.
According to an official toll released late on Monday, at least 2,862 people have perished and more than 2,500 have been injured in the most recent disaster.
However, Morocco has so far rejected offers from a number of other countries, including the United States and Israel. Morocco has authorized rescue teams to come to its help from Britain, Qatar, Spain, and the United Arab Emirates.
On Tuesday, Holt defended the kingdom’s acceptance of increased foreign aid, which appeared to be happening slowly.
“This is an overwhelming event… This would have overwhelmed many societies,” she stressed.
“Coordination and careful consideration at this moment in time is key,” she said.
“(It is) extremely complex accessing these hard to reach areas the needs are still evolving.”
“So I think that the Moroccan government is taking careful steps with regard to opening up and accepting bilateral offers of support … (and is) focusing on that search and rescue window before that window unfortunately closes, which is certainly in the coming hours.”
