Resident Marouane Tamer, quoted by the AFP news agency, questioned why government trucks had not been dispatched to pump out the water.
Damage to roads cut off traffic along several routes to and from the port city on the Atlantic coast.
Casablanca-based newspaper Le Matin said provincial road 2300 linking Safi to Hrara, a town located 20.5km (12.7 miles) to the northeast, had been particularly affected.
The newspaper said the provincial directorate of national education in Safi had suspended classes in all schools on Monday.
By Sunday evening, the water level had receded, leaving people to pick through a mud-sodden landscape to salvage belongings.
- Casualties: At least 37 people were confirmed dead and 14 hospitalized, including two in intensive care.
- Property Damage: Around 70 homes and businesses were flooded, and ten vehicles swept away.
- Economic Impact: Safi, home to over 300,000 residents, is a hub for fishing and phosphate processing industries. The floods disrupted these critical sectors.
- Climate Context: Morocco has faced seven years of drought, leaving reservoirs depleted and soils hardened, which worsened the flooding impact. The General Directorate of Meteorology warned of more heavy rain and snowfall in the Atlas Mountains.
- Historical Parallels: Morocco has suffered repeated flood disasters in recent years:
- 2021 Tangier flood killed 24 workers in an illegal textile workshop.
- 2014–2015 floods caused widespread destruction across several provinces.
- Recent Disasters: Just a week earlier, 22 people died in Fez after two buildings collapsed, underscoring concerns about infrastructure resilience and enforcement of building codes.
- Public Sentiment: Anger has mounted over poor drainage systems and weak disaster readiness, with residents demanding accountability from local authorities.
