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Six days after the earthquake which left at least 2,900 dead and more than 5,600 injured in Morocco, reconstruction is already underway. It is a question of building professionals, already on the ground, learning lessons from this earthquake.
In the medina of Marrakech, rescue workers gave way to workers and architects. Jawad el-Basur must manage the short term: clear the streets and support. But also the future: assess the severity of the cracks, quickly determine which construction seems unscathed and which are threatened. A first observation in this old district: mixing reinforced concrete and ancestral methods is not a solution.
50,000 homes destroyed or uninhabitable
“Constructions which have preserved their traditional character have held up better than buildings in which we have introduced a little new structures, reinforced concrete, bricks, chipboard, etc.”, indicates Jawad el-Basur, president of the regional council of the Order of Architects of Marrakech. Architects must also determine when and where residents will be able to return to their homes. Because in this district, made of mud houses, a race against time begins with the rainy season.
On these weakened structures, water could be more devastating than aftershocks. Across Morocco, 50,000 homes have been destroyed or are uninhabitable.