Torrential rains caused severe flooding in northern Morocco, particularly in Ksar El Kebir, have prompted authorities to evacuate nearly 144,000 people and implement wide-ranging preventive measures. The swift response reflects years of institutional reforms and a national strategy which prioritizes anticipating, reducing, and managing natural disaster risks, rather than reacting only after disasters occur. DR ‹ › Torrential rainfall has triggered severe flooding in northern Morocco, with Ksar El Kebir in Larache province emerging as the hardest-hit area. The swelling of the Loukkos River, combined with the Oued Al Makhazine dam reaching full capacity, led to widespread inundation, threatening the safety of thousands of residents. Authorities' response was remarkably swift, with preventive measures averting what could have been a heavy death toll. By February 5, nearly 144,000 people were evacuated from the affected areas. The evacuations did not only concern the city of Ksar El Kebir, but also adjacent provinces. According to the Interior Ministry, 110,941 people were moved from Larache Province, 16,914 from Kenitra Province, 11,696 from Sidi Kacem Province, and 3,613 from Sidi Slimane Province, with efforts still ongoing to protect lives and ensure public safety amid flooding risks. These preventive measures did not only include evacuations, but also the provision of shelters, transportation arrangements, school closures in provinces likely to be affected by flooding or torrential rainfall, and rescue operations for people trapped by floodwaters, as well as their cattle. A need to act since 2004 Evacuating this large number of inhabitants was unprecedented, signaling an approach that is effective and, above all, proactive. This reflects years of planning for better management of natural disasters, which have claimed thousands of lives in the past. While earthquakes kill the most people in the Kingdom, with more than 12,700 deaths between 1900 and 2019, floods rank as the second most fatal natural disaster threatening Morocco, with more than 638,400 deaths between 1900 and 2019. To decrease these fatalities, especially in anticipated natural disasters like floods, Morocco started by acknowledging the need to develop a stronger emergency response. This urgency emerged in 2004, when Al Hoceima was hit by a deadly earthquake that killed more than 600 people and left hundreds injured. «We nevertheless owe it to ourselves to be honest, and this duty compels us to acknowledge that we are not yet sufficiently prepared to face emergency situations», said King Mohammed VI in a speech following the 2004 catastrophe. Institutional and policy reforms Since then, Morocco has taken gradual steps to strengthen preparedness for natural disasters through a series of institutional and policy reforms. After reinforcing early warning and monitoring bodies, including river basin agencies, meteorological and geophysical services, and remote-sensing institutions, the Kingdom created, in 2008, a Monitoring and Coordination Center within the Ministry of the Interior. In 2009, the state moved to establish the Fund to Combat the Effects of Natural Disasters to support prevention and recovery efforts. A major shift toward prevention occurred in 2014–2015, when Morocco adopted OECD recommendations on major risk governance and joined the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015–2030). In 2016, the Government Program for Integrated Disaster Risk Management was launched. This included restructuring the previously created disaster fund, introducing an annual project-based financing mechanism, setting up risk management bodies, and advancing a catastrophe risk coverage system combining insurance and solidarity funds, reads a report by the Interior Ministry. A national strategy to manage natural disasters The biggest step came with the creation of the National Strategy for the Management of Natural Catastrophes (2020–2030) by the Interior Ministry. The strategy, the first of its kind, focuses on anticipating, reducing, and managing natural disaster risks, rather than reacting only after disasters occur. To do so, the strategy traces three clear objectives: improving knowledge and risk assessment; promoting prevention to reduce exposure and vulnerability; and strengthening preparedness to ensure rapid recovery and effective reconstruction after disasters. This is achieved through five axes: · Strengthening disaster risk governance through clearer roles, new coordination bodies, and enhanced coordination across all territorial levels; · Improving knowledge and risk assessment by developing national observatories, risk maps, vulnerability studies, and public access to reliable data; · Promoting prevention and resilience through awareness campaigns, investment in climate-resilient and flood-protection infrastructure, and the safeguarding of critical facilities; · Enhancing preparedness, crisis response, and reconstruction by reinforcing early warning systems, emergency planning, and applying the «Build Back Better» principle; · Supporting scientific research, international cooperation, and capacity building through training, academic involvement, and partnerships with international organizations. Acting before disasters occur Implementation is carried out through five-year operational plans, beginning with the first phase covering 2021–2026 (Operational Action Plan), and broken down into shorter-term priority action plans, such as the 2021–2023 Priority Action Plan. Each action is clearly defined in terms of timeline, budget, responsible stakeholders, and expected results, with an initial focus on four major risks: floods, earthquakes, landslides, and tsunamis, while allowing for additional risks to be integrated later, reads a detailed report on the strategy. To monitor the progress of action plans, the strategy outlines a dedicated evaluation system consisting of measuring impact and adjusting policies when necessary, using indicators such as reduced loss of life, lower economic damage, improved access to early warning systems, and stronger preparedness and governance. Regarding flooding, for example, a written response by Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit in February 2025 outlined several projects implemented under this strategy. These include a pilot program, «Vigirisques Inondations», aimed at anticipatory flood risk management, tested in four pilot areas: Mohammedia, Al Haouz, Kenitra, and Guelmim. The program involved the establishment of flood risk management centers, flood forecasting units within river basin agencies, and efforts to create a national flood forecasting center. The strategy also backed a series of projects aimed at better preparing for floods. The minister revealed that between 2016 and the end of December 2024, 321 projects were financed with a total investment of approximately 4.68 billion dirhams, supported by the Fund to Combat the Effects of Natural Disasters (FLCN). These included 139 infrastructure projects to protect cities and urban centers most exposed to flooding, and 177 non-structural projects, such as flood risk studies and assessments, as well as the strengthening of monitoring and early warning systems. This strategy appears to be bearing fruit, with preventive efforts continuing to ensure the safety of populations living in flood-prone areas.
