Morocco earthquake relief: People in metro Atlanta raising donations | How you can help
Atlanta steps up to help Morocco after earthquake
Metro Atlanta is lending support to Morocco. The clock is now ticking to find any more survivors after that devastating earthquake with the death toll nearing 2,700. In Georgia, people with ties to the country are doing everything they can to help in the recovery efforts and are putting out the call for others to join them.
ATHENS, Ga. - The clock is ticking to find any more survivors after that devastating 6.8-magnitude earthquake with the death told near 2,700.
In metro Atlanta, people with ties to the country are doing everything to help in the recovery effort.
"I was in a state of shock," said Mustapha Ezzarghani, who is from Morocco but lives in Athens-Clarke County. "I lost connection with or communications with family and friends."
He’s from one of the villages hardest hit by the earthquake.
"I was on the phone with a family member at the same moment driving to work and all of a sudden the line went dead."
He says all his family members are okay, but he’s only just now beginning to fathom who he lost.
"I have a couple of friends that I can’t get in touch with," he said. "They don’t know like what happened to them."
Now, as rescuers race against the clock to get to any survivors, he says there are a lot of people in the mountainous remote regions left with absolutely nothing.
"I am in direct connection with volunteers on the ground and they are telling me that people need basics, like groceries, hygiene, products, blankets," he told FOX 5.
Complicating things, most roads are either damaged or inaccessible.
How to help those impacted by the earthquake in Morocco
Ezzarghani is raising funds to send supplies back home. He has set up a GoFundMe.
Meanwhile, organizations like the High Atlas Foundation and the International Medical Corps are coordinating large-scale efforts.
Complicating all of this, the Moroccan government isn’t accepting help from the U.S. government.
The American Red Cross said more than 100 million dollars in aid is needed right now to provide people there with just necessities like food and water.
"The Moroccan people have shown an unprecedented sense of solidarity right now," Ezzarghani said. "Individuals are backing their trunks, and their cars with groceries and are driving to the mountains to help."