The General Directorate of Meteorology (DGM) of Morocco has issued a new warning on Tuesday Orange alert for rain and storms in several provinces which were affected in recent days by heavy flooding, which caused a provisional balance of 18 dead.
According to the DGM, heavy rains of between 30 and 40 mm are expected in the regions of Rio de Oro and Auserd, in Western Sahara, this Tuesday between 2:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. Likewise, rainfall of between 30 and 60 mm is expected to fall between tomorrow, Wednesday, and Thursday in the provinces of Figuig, Jerada, Oujda, Taurirt, Bouleman, Midelt and Errachidia, areas that have already been severely affected by recent torrential rains and flooding.
Morocco’s Interior Ministry reported on Monday that of the 18 fatalities, 10 were in Tata province, the worst affected. Three people were also killed in Errachidia, including a Canadian and a Peruvian, two in Tiznit and two in Tinghir, where a Spanish citizen died, and one person in Taroudant. The floods also caused the destruction of 56 homes, of which 27 completely collapsed.
On Thursday, the DGM had already issued a red alert for the provinces of Zagora, Tinghir, Errachidia, Ouarzazate and Tata, and an orange alert for other areas such as Midelt, Figuig, Azilal, Tiznit, Guelmim, Sidi Ifni, Taroudant and Al Haouz.
Rachid El Khalfi, spokesman for the Ministry of the Interior, stressed that The rains that fell in recent days represent about half of the annual rainfall in these regions.In some cases, the figures even exceeded the annual average, with 250 mm recorded in Tata, 203 in Tinghir, 114 in Figuig and 82 in Ouarzazate.