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“Morocco has faced a natural disaster—we don’t want to follow it with an economic disaster”: How travelers can help in the wake of the earthquake

Tour leader for Intrepid Travel, Brahim Hanaoui, was leading a group in Morocco when an earthquake measuring 6.8 rocked the city and beyond. He shares his experience and hopes for the future.

The night started with laughs, music and food. It was the last day of a week-long Intrepid Travel group tour I had been hosting in Morocco, and we were having dinner with a local family in the heart of the medina in Marrakech. We were eating a beautiful homecooked dinner with our host, a local woman called Zineb, while singing and dancing to an Houriyate band. We were unaware of how much would change in less than an hour. We left Zineb’s house to go back to our hotel outside the medina at 10:30pm, and I went to my room to rest after the long day. Minutes after lying on my bed, the hotel started shaking. It was the first time in my life I had felt anything like this; the building was going from right to left violently beneath me. Initially, I couldn’t work out what was happening. After about a minute, the shaking stopped. Because I didn’t hear any explosion noises, I realized it must have been an earthquake .

Left: Brahim Hanaoui with his tour group in Morocco. Right: Brahim Hanaoui pours traditional tea.

I looked outside my room to the ground below and saw dozens of people from the hotels and restaurants around us in the street. I grabbed my ID card, went downstairs and headed outside.

Many people were huddled around, scared and confused. I gathered my group of travelers, some who had been on the hotel’s rooftop, and took them across the road to the front of a tennis club. There were no tall buildings close by, so I thought we would be safe there from any aftershocks.

Another Intrepid group was also staying at the hotel, so we made sure to stay together.

Some of the men from a tennis club opened their gate to let our group use their facilities. One of them told us that during the earthquake, he looked up at the hotel across the road and saw it swaying from side to side — an unbelievable sight in Marrakech.

The phone service was down, but thankfully the internet was working. I managed to get in touch with my operations manager and other Intrepid tour guides so we could start piecing together what was happening.

My colleagues had been leading groups across Morocco, including in the Atlas Mountains—the most affected area. They were all thankfully safe, and, like me, were supporting and staying with their groups, even when they couldn’t get through to family and friends to check if they were OK. I later heard that the hotel our group had been staying at days earlier in the Atlas Mountains had been badly damaged. Zineb’s house where we were for dinner had been damaged, too. Some of the group members were in pajamas or had bare feet because they’d left the hotel in a rush. I gave one my sandals to protect their feet, got water for everyone, collected important medication, and made sure everyone was feeling safe and supported.

A few hours later, I could see my group was getting sleepy. We parked our minibus in an open area away from buildings to give them a more comfortable place to rest, and we went one by one to fetch our luggage and passports from the hotel. It was a sleepless night. I continued to gather information on what happened and check to ensure my family was safe. Thankfully they were, and my hometown in southeast Morocco was undamaged. Of course, many others weren’t so lucky. My group had prearranged flights to travel home the next morning and made it safely to the airport.

A few days later, I am now in Casablanca leading another tour group. I am happy to have trips to lead so I can support my country, especially in this time. While there is damage in the High Atlas Mountains and Marrakech medina—and we hope rescue efforts prioritize those most in need at this terrible time—the rest of Morocco and its airports, hotels and restaurants are operating as normal. Tourism is very important to Morocco, especially as we enter our high season. Our guides, leaders and hosts are all eager to welcome travelers to unaffected areas. Morocco has just faced a natural disaster — we don’t want to follow it with an economic disaster. Our people have lost their families, their homes, their hotels, and guesthouses. There are communities that need our help. If tourism dries up in Morocco, it will be catastrophic. We are ready to welcome you because our livelihoods depend on it. We want to support our families and friends, and communities who need to rebuild. ** You can help the people of Morocco by giving to the Intrepid Foundation’s Morocco Earthquake Appea l. Funds will be distributed to two long-term partners in the worst-hit part of Morocco, the Atlas Mountains. These funds will provide immediate relief for local communities that need it most.

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Brahim Hanaoui is a certified Moroccan tour leader who has worked with Intrepid Travel for five years. He is also the founder of AFELLA Club, an excursion and organized travel club for mountain, desert and marine adventures in Morocco.