Morocco – In front of the Marrakech court, a stray and lost septuagenarian widow does not know what to do after losing relatives in the devastating earthquake that struck her village in Amizmiz.
In an interview with Al Jazeera Net, says the elderly flower of Auf and the effects of sadness and pain visible on her face, "I mourned the death of 3 of my granddaughter, but today I became without identity after I lost all my papers."
"I feel lost, and I can't find anyone to help me, as my husband's retirement is approaching, and I don't know how to extract it, as it is the only source of money I send to my son, a student in Casablanca," she adds.
The elderly Zahrat Al-Awf mourned the death of 3 of her grandchildren and lost all her official papers as a result of the devastating earthquake (Al-Jazeera)
Missing documents
Many of the victims of the devastating earthquake lost their families, and their documents, originals, car insurance papers and others were buried, and after the tragedy they found it difficult to deal with government departments.
Researcher Abdul Wahid Abu Rush, a specialist in administrative affairs for Al Jazeera Net, says, "It may be an inappropriate time to talk about something secondary such as official papers in light of a disaster in which people were buried alive, houses were destroyed, women were widowed, and children were orphaned, but the pain of feeling of loss of identity in a society linked to the land, parents and relatives cannot be ignored."
The researcher raises the problem of property insurance, which is bound by short deadlines that may not help the victim, or one of her relatives if he dies. He explained that the law related to dealing with this problem in times of disasters dates back only 3 years, pointing out that the response of the administration and insurance institutions is still confused.
In the Aslda roundabout near Imlil in the Asni commune on the outskirts of Marrakech, Samir Haij, with the help of a friend from time to time, returns to search for the remaining official papers and documents.
He remembers with much sorrow in an interview with Al Jazeera Net, the first moments of the earthquake, and how he caused terror in the souls, to the sound of mixed screams and the sound of collapses amid complete darkness after the power outage. "We lost 21 of the people of the roundabout, and dozens were injured, while young people took the initiative to remove those trapped from the rubble," he said.
"People have lost the originals of their official documents, and they do not know to which official party to go, as the administration is busy now, and some people have returned to search among the rubble for documents, some of them found them and the rest failed to find them," he said.
Said Madoum, from the Tassa roundabout area near Ouergane on the outskirts of Marrakech, continues to search the remains of his house for a lost bank card in order to extract some money to meet his basic needs. He collects the rest of the things that can be sold in the markets.
He says to Al Jazeera Net, "We received ample food aid, and we were accommodated in a tent for civil protection temporarily, but I returned here in order to search for my brother's bank card, and family papers, and we currently need proof of our identity in front of the administration, so we had to search for him under the rubble."
Documents and originals of documents Many earthquake victims buried under the rubble (Al Jazeera)
Administrative facilities required
Those affected are exposed to various problems after the loss of official documents, so they do not know which government agency to turn to.
"This is new in Morocco, and there is no procedure (administration) that facilitates obtaining documents for those who lost them in disasters, but the information system through which a number of departments work in Morocco, and the communiqué issued by the Ministry of Justice can be useful in the matter," researcher Abdelouahed Abou Rash told Al Jazeera.
The communiqué referred to the holding of a coordination meeting with notaries, notaries, copyists, judicial commissioners and translators accepted by the courts to discuss possible legal support for the groups affected by the tragedy.
The communiqué provides for facilitating the drafting of contracts and carrying out all administrative procedures related to this process, including the extraction of copies of contracts, certificates of ownership, registration and preservation procedures, the completion of all judicial fees and documents, and the inclusion and extraction of copies of judicial fees and documents.
The communiqué stresses the facilitation of the translation of all documents and documents, and communication with foreign rescue teams, by providing simultaneous interpretation service, in addition to completing inspection reports, monitoring damage, and carrying out procedures for notifying summonses and judicial decisions.