The latest from Morocco: "We're afraid of the wild furious animals that we hear close to us"

“Our children are afraid: at nightfall they refuse to sleep indoors,” says Mhijiba, a woman living in Al Boukh.

Fearing aftershocks, women and children are sleeping outside. But that brings its own risks.

“When we’re out at night,” says Nadia, another woman in the village.

“We’re afraid of the wild furious animals that we hear close to us.”

“We alternate sleeping, protecting the children in the middle of the tents. We urgently need blankets and tents. It gets very cold at night.”

The death toll continues to rise

As of Wednesday morning, the official death toll was approaching 3,000, with the Al Haouz province accounting for half the reported deaths, according to the New York Times. The United Nations has reported the quake has affected over 100,000 children.

“There’s nobody alive in the local area who experienced an earthquake as big as this, and if they’re close to the epicenter the shaking would have been very intense and buildings won’t have been built to seismic resilience standards, even the modern ones,” David Rothery, professor of planetary geosciences at the Open University, UK, told BBC News.

“We know that while that immediate lifesaving support will be required to deal with physical injuries,” Hlima Razkaoui, CARE Morocco’s Country Director, said. ”Women and children are also frequently the most affected following the destruction of their homes, which can leave them in precarious and vulnerable situations.”

CARE has the “green light” to respond

“We are particularly concerned about communities with existing vulnerabilities, such as those suffering from disease or with reduced mobility, older persons, women with newborns, and single mothers,” Razkaoui said. “CARE has been working with women in the affected areas for many years. Many of these women have lost members of their families, most of their homes have been destroyed, so they are on the streets, and one very sadly lost her baby.”

“There is no electricity, the roads are blocked, and they are suffering from shortages of basic staples such as bread.”

CARE already works extensively in Al Haouz, one of the most-impacted cities, and since the disaster struck, CARE has been able to provide meals, safe water supplies, emergency shelter, and medical support.

As the situation on the ground continues to evolve, CARE is adapting its response strategy to ensure it can provide timely, culturally appropriate, and gender-sensitive assistance to people in need.

“As we witness the emotional and psychological toll on survivors, it’s heart-wrenching to see hundreds sleeping in the streets, too afraid to return home,” said Deepmala Mahla, CARE Vice President of Humanitarian Affairs.

“CARE Morocco has the green light from the authorities to respond, and that we will work in partnership with women’s groups for last mile delivery of aid to affected communities, to deliver gender sensitive and locator led humanitarian response.

“The recovery process from such a disaster is long and arduous, and it’s crucial that we extend our support beyond the immediate crisis.”