Khaberni - The Moroccan Ministry of Interior called for raising the level of readiness and mobilization, to face the potential consequences of the current climate fluctuations, following floods and torrential rains that claimed the lives of 37 citizens in the city of Safi in the west of the country.
In recent days, several Moroccan cities witnessed heavy rainfall, alongside heavy snowfall, which prompted the Ministry of Interior on Tuesday to ask the governors of the 28 provinces in the country to "raise the level of mobilization to face the potential consequences of the current weather fluctuations."
According to a statement, the ministry decided to "activate a command and vigilance center, as well as establish and activate regional vigilance and monitoring committees, within the framework of the national plan to address the effects of cold waves in the winter season."
Covering the consequences of catastrophic events in Morocco is a mixed system that combines mandatory insurance, which is included in property and vehicle insurance contracts to compensate the insured, and the solidarity aid system managed by the Solidarity Fund against Catastrophic Events for the benefit of the uninsured.
The system aims to compensate the victims for physical and material damages caused by natural disasters or violent events, following the declaration of the event as a "catastrophic incident" by the Prime Minister, and it relies on the principle of national solidarity stipulated in the Constitution.
The public prosecution issued a statement yesterday, Monday, announcing the initiation of an investigation to determine the real causes of these floods and to uncover their circumstances and contexts.
Demands for compensation
In this context, Moroccan MP Nadia Tehami called on the government to declare the city of Safi "disastrous and affected by a natural disaster", and to activate the victim and damage compensation system.
The parliamentarian from the opposition Progress and Socialism Party also called for the activation of the victim and damage compensation system and the implementation of the law by creating a system to cover the consequences of catastrophic events.
Emergency aid
Today, Tuesday, the Moroccan authorities announced that they have started providing emergency assistance across the kingdom to help tens of thousands of families affected by the severe drop in temperatures and heavy rains and snow this winter.
The authorities said that the relief operation would target 28 areas affected by extreme temperatures and snow and rain, where food supplies and blankets will be distributed to approximately 73,000 families.
A red alert was issued today, Tuesday, due to snowfall that reached a height of 80 centimeters in the High Atlas Mountains, and an orange alert was also issued due to rainfall that reached a depth of 50 millimeters in most central and northern regions.
Morocco is experiencing heavy rainfall and snow after a drought that lasted 7 years, which drained some of its main water reservoirs.
