People have to pay for the indifference of politicians
A 6.8 magnitude earthquake recently hit Morocco. It was the strongest earthquake to hit the country in a century. Its center was in Marrakesh in the southwest. Most of the houses there have been damaged. At least 2,900 people lost their lives.
Immediately after this tragic event in Morocco, Cyclone Daniel hit the eastern part of Libya. Then heavy rains caused flooding there. Several dams were broken. The house is washed away. The port city of Derna was the worst affected. So far, more than 6,000 people have lost their lives in this flood. Thousands are missing.
People have
Morocco and Libya have little in common. The Moroccan monarchy is very stable. The same family has been ruling the country since the 17th century. On the other hand, Libya has not one but two governments. One is internationally recognized, the other is rebel. None of these are able to perform the basic functions of the state properly. Morocco is on the one hand popular with tourists and on the other a production center for Europe. And Libya is a war-torn country. However, it is a major producer of fuel oil. Their role in dealing with disasters is pathetic.
Morocco is an earthquake prone country. Recently, the building code has been tightened by the country’s authorities. But many houses are made of simple masonry, which can easily crumble during an earthquake. Residents of the villages hardest hit by this month’s earthquakes cannot afford to rebuild their homes. According to the World Bank in a report, at least one in every five people in the village has an income of less than 3.65 dollars a day.
The King of Morocco spends most of his time in Paris. Even the people of the country told where he was during the earthquake. It took him five days to travel to the ruined Marrakesh.
If Morocco’s move is slow, Libya’s is chaotic and alarming. Hurricane Daniel was warned in advance. Heavy rain hits Greece before hitting Libya.
As the cyclone neared Derna, the mayor of Derna asked the commander of the Eastern Regional Administration, Khalifa Haftar, for help in evacuating people. But Haftar did not give any importance to the mayor’s words. Even when the dam collapses, people are not instructed to evacuate. Many people think that Haftar is not very happy about the collapse of Derna
