Water everywhere - it's getting critical

16.02.23 Tata - Tata The water becomes a problem. It is literally pouring with rain. Moroccans stand by the roadside and photograph the raging floods as if they have never seen anything so spectacular in their entire lives. It is mainly older people who go on a photo hunt. It is difficult for me to understand right now. Of course, I know that such rainfalls are extremely rare in Morocco, that every drop of water is worth its weight in dirhams, but people should also see what the water masses are doing to their country.

We experience it ourselves. We leave at 11:30 a.m. We were actually supposed to go to Form Zguid today, towards the desert. But there are warnings that the route is closed due to the rain. We replan and want to drive towards Igherm. The first six cars are already lined up by the roadside. Only Volker and Gerd, our two stragglers, are missing. It's too far for the radio, so Ricci goes back to check. Volker is stuck with his car! His left rear wheel has dug almost down to the axle in the mud. The only thing that helps is digging and praying. Half the campsite is on their feet. Gummimatten are brought by a Frenchman, a few men dig and finally it's time to push with all their might. It's a tightrope act, but with combined forces, they manage to free the car. However, not without damage: the water drainage pipe is broken. "I can fix that," says Volker, who is glad that the axle remained intact. Unthinkable if it had suffered damage...

When we finally start, it's almost 12:30 p.m., and we still have 140 kilometers ahead of us. In addition, we have to take a detour. We were lucky to get off the campsite, because the small stream that led us up the narrow road on Wednesday has turned into a river - there is nothing left of the road. We have to go in the other direction. Berndt has worked out a route on his maps that will lead us back to the road to Igherm after a few kilometers.

But now the bad news is coming thick and fast. A German warns Ricci at an intersection where we have to stop, about catastrophic conditions on the roads ahead, and shortly afterwards a Frenchman comes towards us, reporting that the road is closed because it is no longer passable. After a short discussion, Ricci and Brigitte decide to turn around. We drive back to Tata and look for a campsite or parking with electricity there. This is particularly important for Bernd and Hanne, as their motorhome has a defect in the leisure battery. It no longer charges, so they rely on mains electricity.

It is not an easy task to find a place for ten motorhomes within a few kilometers that offers electricity, especially at this time of year in Morocco. But we are lucky: after several unsuccessful attempts, we discover a nice campsite a few kilometers outside Tata, which has everything you could wish for: electricity, water and even a restaurant. But we rejoiced too soon: it is now shortly before 10 p.m. and after the third power outage this evening, we have to expect that the damage will not be repaired. No electricity means no heating for Hanne and Bernd. It is raining outside, and my thermometer reads 13 degrees Celsius. The temperatures will continue to fall. I wish the two of them to get through the night well despite this!