Jacksonville man escapes Morocco earthquake, expresses thoughts for friends, those affected

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The death toll from the devastating earthquake in Morocco has claimed the lives of over 2,000 people. A local resident of Jacksonville, John Palumbo, narrowly escaped this catastrophe as he left the country mere hours before the earthquake struck.

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Action News Jax reporter Ben Ryan interviewed John Palumbo, who shared his gratitude for escaping the disaster.

Morocco has been struck with a devastating historic magnitude 6.8 earthquake that has resulted in over 2,000 fatalities (as of the time of this report). This is one of the most severe natural disasters the country has experienced in recent years.

Morocco’s worst earthquake of modern times was in 1960 near the western city of Agadir which killed at least 12,000 people.

Palumbo stated that he is glad that his friends whom he has known for over 10 years appear to be okay, but knows that the areas hardest hit will have to rebuild - many of which were historic locations.

“I have a lot of friends there, and that was more of a concern to me,” Palumbo explained. “I’ve been on the phone all morning texting, ‘Are you okay? Is your family okay?’”

Palumbo lives in Jacksonville but was in Morroco for 2 weeks, and he left merely a few hours before the disaster struck the county.

Palumbo, who owns a home in Morocco, expressed relief that, so far, his friends and his house appeared to be unscathed from the disaster.

“They are good, but the city is very chaotic right now,” he stated. “People trying to figure out what’s happening and what’s going on. I had someone go over and check everything. Everything is good there was a tiny crack they said in one wall, but I consider that good.”

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However, many others were not as fortunate, and the impact has left the country in a state of devastation. Dozens of Moroccans are rushing to donate blood to aid the injured, while residents near the earthquake’s epicenter are spending the night in the open, afraid to return to their homes.

Palumbo, who has spent a lot of amount of time in Marrakech, a major city deeply affected by the earthquake, expressed empathy for those impacted.

“Marrakech is a very old city, and Morocco has been around for a long time, so the places that have crumbled have been around for hundreds of years,” he stated.

Palumbo added, “It’s God’s will these people have survived. My heart goes out to those families who have suffered losses. They will come together pretty quick to clean this stuff up. There will be a lot of people ready to work and a lot chipping in to get this done.”

As Morocco, particularly tourist destinations like Marrakech, faces the daunting task of recovery, Palumbo emphasized the importance of supporting trustworthy sources for donations to aid the nation’s efforts to rebuild.

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