Morocco Earthquake Appeal - Red Cross

Lily would like to raise money in support of emergency relief aid for the Morocco Earthquake Appeal in lieu of Birthday presents. We were lucky enough to visit Marrakesh this year and to see the devastation following the earthquake is heart breaking.

British Red Cross - Following the Morocco earthquake, we’ve launched an emergency appeal to help support people affected.

On Friday 8 September, 11pm local time, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck Morocco. The epicentre was in the High Atlas Mountains, approximately 70 kilometres south of Marrakesh. A 4.9 magnitude aftershock followed just 20 minutes later.

Local authorities are now reporting that over 2,800 people have died, with many more critically injured. The total number of people affected is in the hundreds of thousands.

Many of the worst affected areas are remote and mountainous, making them harder to reach, so these numbers are likely to rise rapidly in the coming days as the full impact of the disaster becomes clearer.

Local Moroccan Red Crescent teams were on the ground immediately responding to the earthquake. They are supporting authorities with:

• search and rescue

• provision of water, food, shelter and hygiene kits

• evacuation

• first aid

• transportation of injured people to hospital

• psychosocial support

As the situation develops, our teams will continue to help with the severe and immediate needs of those affected, as well as planning the longer-term support that will be needed in the weeks and months to come.