A camp in Amizmiz in El Haouz district near the epicentre of the earthquake. Ghaya Ben Mbarek / The National
A camp in Amizmiz in El Haouz district near the epicentre of the earthquake. Ghaya Ben Mbarek / The National
A camp in Amizmiz in El Haouz district near the epicentre of the earthquake. Ghaya Ben Mbarek / The National
A camp in Amizmiz in El Haouz district near the epicentre of the earthquake. Ghaya Ben Mbarek / The National

Morocco's quake-hit mountain villages still struggling despite aid


Ghaya Ben Mbarek
  • English
  • Arabic

In Amizmiz, a small village in Morocco's Atlas Mountains that was destroyed by the earthquake, dozens of vehicles arrived on Thursday with aid from across the country.

The people here, as in other quake-hit villages, are desperately in need of the donations, sent from collection centres in Marrakesh – the nearest big city – about 55 kilometres away.

However, six days after the earthquake, there are many essential items that have not arrived, such as tents, blankets and medicine. And with storms in the forecast, the mood in Amizmiz is one of concern.

“We have been all affected, all of our homes are cracked and we have nowhere to go but to the empty woods here,” said Abdelsalam Askri, standing near his destroyed home.

Mr Askri said the aid so far has included food, water and basic daily necessities, but many important items, including materials to repair their homes, were not available.

“We are very thankful for the food and water, but there are not enough tents … I do not have one myself,” he told The National.

His father had chosen to stay in their damaged house despite the danger. Another tremor shook the region on Thursday.

“My father is disabled and he cannot bear these conditions so he just puts up with the risks and stays there,” Mr Askri said.

Morocco has accepted limited foreign aid and focused more on domestic campaigns run by the government and individuals as well as local NGO initiatives, but the biggest challenge is getting the aid to mountainous areas that can only be reached by helicopter or pack animals.

A camp in Amizmiz in El Haouz District near the epicentre of the earthquake. Ghaya Ben Mbarek / The National
A camp in Amizmiz in El Haouz District near the epicentre of the earthquake. Ghaya Ben Mbarek / The National

Many other residents who are camping along the roads of Amizmiz echoed Mr Askri's concerns.

While they are thankful to have survived the earthquake that killed nearly 3,000 people and for the help they are receiving from both from the state and private groups, they cannot help but worry about what lies in store.

Khadija Oussouss and her family are living in a tent across the street from their house because it is no longer habitable.

“Our children now have to live in the dust with no water or soap or medicine,” Ms Oussouss told The National as she held her nine-month-old daughter by the side of the road.

Her son, aged seven, was supposed to go back to school soon, but she worried that might not be possible this year.

“All of the schools have fallen – nothing is standing any more,” Ms Oussouss said.

Many children across El Haouz district are in the same situation, as the majority of school buildings have been damaged or flattened.

A camp in Amizmiz in El Haouz district near the epicentre of the earthquake. Ghaya Ben Mbarek / The National
A camp in Amizmiz in El Haouz district near the epicentre of the earthquake. Ghaya Ben Mbarek / The National

Fadoua Trichih, 36, who lives in a another tent nearby with her mother and brother, is worried about the approach of winter.

“I am thankful that I found a place to stay with my family for now, but there are people who have still received nothing, both here and higher in the mountains,” she said.

“The cold is unbearable in our region. We are waiting for authorities to tell us what they will do to protect us from what is coming.”

The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

On sale: Now

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Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

While you're here
War 2

Director: Ayan Mukerji

Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana

Rating: 2/5

Most wanted allegations
  • Benjamin Macann, 32: involvement in cocaine smuggling gang.
  • Jack Mayle, 30: sold drugs from a phone line called the Flavour Quest.
  • Callum Halpin, 27: over the 2018 murder of a rival drug dealer. 
  • Asim Naveed, 29: accused of being the leader of a gang that imported cocaine.
  • Calvin Parris, 32: accused of buying cocaine from Naveed and selling it on.
  • John James Jones, 31: allegedly stabbed two people causing serious injuries.
  • Callum Michael Allan, 23: alleged drug dealing and assaulting an emergency worker.
  • Dean Garforth, 29: part of a crime gang that sold drugs and guns.
  • Joshua Dillon Hendry, 30: accused of trafficking heroin and crack cocain. 
  • Mark Francis Roberts, 28: grievous bodily harm after a bungled attempt to steal a £60,000 watch.
  • James ‘Jamie’ Stevenson, 56: for arson and over the seizure of a tonne of cocaine.
  • Nana Oppong, 41: shot a man eight times in a suspected gangland reprisal attack. 
Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
England ODI squad

Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.

How to increase your savings
  • Have a plan for your savings.
  • Decide on your emergency fund target and once that's achieved, assign your savings to another financial goal such as saving for a house or investing for retirement.
  • Decide on a financial goal that is important to you and put your savings to work for you.
  • It's important to have a purpose for your savings as it helps to keep you motivated to continue while also reducing the temptation to spend your savings. 

- Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching

 

 

Rainbow

Kesha

(Kemosabe)

New schools in Dubai
The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm

Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm

Transmission: 6-speed auto

Price: from Dh155,000

On sale: now

ACL Elite (West) - fixtures

Monday, Sept 30

Al Sadd v Esteghlal (8pm)
Persepolis v Pakhtakor (8pm)
Al Wasl v Al Ahli (8pm)
Al Nassr v Al Rayyan (10pm)

Tuesday, Oct 1
Al Hilal v Al Shorta (10pm)
Al Gharafa v Al Ain (10pm)

How to donate

Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200

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A Bad Moms Christmas
Dir: John Lucas and Scott Moore
Starring: Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Bell, Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines
Two stars

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The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

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Price: From Dh117,059

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

W.
Wael Kfoury
(Rotana)

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League final:

Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports

Barcelona 3
Messi (27’, 32’, 87’)

Leganes 1
El Zhar (68’)

Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.

The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?

My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.

The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.

So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.

 

 

How much of your income do you need to save?

The more you save, the sooner you can retire. Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.com, says if you save just 5 per cent of your salary, you can expect to work for another 66 years before you are able to retire without too large a drop in income.

In other words, you will not save enough to retire comfortably. If you save 15 per cent, you can forward to another 43 working years. Up that to 40 per cent of your income, and your remaining working life drops to just 22 years. (see table)

Obviously, this is only a rough guide. How much you save will depend on variables, not least your salary and how much you already have in your pension pot. But it shows what you need to do to achieve financial independence.

 

The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 6-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km

Price: Dh133,900

On sale: now 

Updated: September 15, 2023, 3:43 AM`