Morocco to spend $260 million to help flood victims

RABAT - The Moroccan government said Thursday it planned to spend 2.5 billion dirhams ($260 million) on a flood relief plan that includes reconstruction assistance, infrastructure improvements and support for agriculture.

Floods ravaged several villages in the southeast of the North African Kingdom last month, killing at least 28 people and destroying roads and houses.

The government will offer 80,000 dirhams for partially demolished houses and 140,000 dirhams for those that have completely collapsed, the Prime Minister's office said in a statement.

The plan includes modernizing destroyed infrastructure and helping affected farmers. It will provide support for agricultural activities, in particular through the repair of small and medium-sized hydropower structures and support for livestock farmers in order to rebuild livestock in the affected regions, as well as the reconstruction and rehabilitation of damaged public buildings, it added.