CLEVELAND — Devastation was felt across Morocco after a 6.8 magnitude earthquake Friday left more than 2,000 dead and thousands more injured. Aid has been sent from all over the world to the country, including from right here in Cleveland.
Youssef Kallal is from Morocco and tells News 5 that his heart dropped when he learned of the earthquake.
“My mother was scared because everything started shaking, and she couldn't get to the first floor quickly,” said Kallal.
Thankfully his family is OK, but that is not the case for others.
“We know of people that lost their families, entire families in this earthquake. So, this feels close to home,” said Othmane Benafan, President of the United Moroccan American Association of Cleveland.
Benafan said that many have been affected by the quake, and being so far away makes the pain worse.
“When you see those images, and I hear reports from my families, from the news, right there see people hurting? It's frustrating that there's a huge distance between us,” said Benafan.
The earthquake is the deadliest the North African country has seen since the 1960s. It hit southwest of the city of Marrakesh near the Atlas Mountains, mainly affecting villages at the foot of the mountains.
“A lot of suburbs outside of Marrakesh are hurting. A lot of people have no aid, it's difficult to get services to where they are and the villages, they are pretty much cut off,” said Benafan.
So, to bring aid, their group started a GoFundMe with the hopes of raising $25,000. That money will be sent to a member in Morocco to bring immediate relief.
“We would like to supply him with the necessary funds to go work with people on the ground — people associations that distribute food, distributing clothes, a shelter,” said Benafan.
From thousands of miles away, Benafan and Kallal both feel the pain of their people.
“We feel what they feel, and we see those dead bodies are buried and stuff. It's something that hurts us,” said Kallal.
“Can you imagine that moment when you have no school, we have no home and worst case, you have no family, they died? So this is really tough,” said Benafan.
But they believe the community can and will come together to bring relief.
“We're not going to give up. We're not giving up. We're going to wait. We have our hope. You know that people help us and keep donating,” said Kallal.
For information on how you can donate, click here.
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