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When Nick and Courtney Rowley of Decorah, Iowa returned with over 30 guests last week to the location of their wedding 10 years ago to renew their vows–Richard Branson's Kasbah Tamadot sitting on the edge of a high mountain in the Atlas Mountains outside of Marrakech, Morocco–the hotel held only beautiful memories and the possibility of creating more. Late on the night of Friday, Sept. 8, however, disaster struck as the region was hit by a magnitude 6.8 earthquake and subsequent aftershocks. The epicenter of the earthquake was very near the Kasbah Tamadot where the Rowleys and their guests were staying–about 40 miles south of Marrakech in Al Haouz Province. "We had just put the kids to sleep and fallen asleep ourselves when the earthquake started," Nick Rowley told DecorahNews.com Monday via text. "We were very close to the epicenter. It was the most terrifying thing we have ever experienced. We have been in earthquakes before, but nothing like this." According to Nick Rowley, the earthquake seemed to go on forever and felt like it kept getting stronger and stronger. "As the earthquake finally settled down, I ran barefoot to Odan (8) and Greta's (7) room which was next to ours. They were in the three bedroom, three story master suite with their grandparents. I had to kick down two doors to get to them," Nick Rowley recalls. "I kept screaming their names and they wouldn't respond. I feared the worst, [that] they were not alive. When I was able to get inside I saw the large chunks of cement and floor that had fallen out of the ceiling from the level above [...]. I kept screaming their names. They wouldn't respond. There was so much dust. "As I broke down the door to their bedroom Greta and Odan still didn't respond," Nick continued. "Large chunks of cement and ceiling had fallen everywhere in the room. Suddenly, two little heads popped up from the bed in the dusty air and I heard the words 'Papa'. They had slept through the whole thing. I picked them up, they were light as feathers and ran them to Courtney." Nick Rowley recalls hearing screams of panic and horror from the nearby village across the river bed and said the screams went on and on. Multiple news sources report that the mountain villages in Al Haouz Province have been devastated by the earthquake, with whole villages destroyed, people trapped and unable to get off the mountain, and at least 1,604 deaths in that area alone. Nick Rowley's son, Nick Rowley, Jr., and his girlfriend Chelsea Holtz were also there to celebrate the vow-renewals. "The shaking was unlike anything I've ever experienced in my life," Nick Rowley Jr. said. "The shaking was so violent I thought a meteor had hit Earth. We wish we could have stayed and helped but we were told that the best thing we can do is get off the mountain." Holtz said they thought the mountain was going to come down and they were all going to die. "We are so lucky to be alive and feel so bad for the people who have been hurt and killed and the families who have lost loved ones." Courtney Rowley expressed similar sentiments. "We are grateful our family is safe," she said. "The walls around us crumbled. Our hearts are broken for the people of Morocco. We are so grateful for the kindness and generosity they have shown us." The Rowleys and their guests were indeed fortunate. As of Monday night, the Moroccan state media reports there have been more than 2,800 deaths and over 2,500 people are injured, with the worst destruction in the isolated mountain areas near where the Rowley party was staying. The earthquake was the strongest to hit Morocco in over a century. According to Nick Rowley, the roads they traveled to get down the mountain were blocked by boulders and fallen mountainsides. He says the Moroccan government, however, worked right away to start clearing the roads and the Rowley's and their guests were able to create a convoy and evacuate themselves with the help of Global Guardian. "The drive was scary with large boulders and piles of rock and mountain all around," Nick Rowley reflects. "The best thing we could do to help was to do what it took to get us foreigners off-mountain so the teams in Morocco and systems that are in place could do their job without having a bunch of Americans as a burden. Our hearts go out to the kind and loving people of Morocco in Marrakech and in the Atlas Mountains." The Associated Press reports that the Morocco Interior Ministry is currently accepting international aid from non-governmental organizations as well as Spain, Qatar, Britain and the United Arab Emirates. They are not currently accepting offers from French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. President Joe Biden. "We stand ready to provide any necessary assistance for the Moroccan people," Biden told the Associated Press Sunday on a trip to Vietnam. Many people around the world are looking for ways to help those affected by the earthquake in Morocco. "Please follow Richard Branson and his family's nonprofit, and provide as much support as you possibly can," Nick Rowley said. "Lastly, I want to thank Global Guardian for helping us evacuate and get more than 30 people down off the mountain to safety. We are lucky to be alive." The Eve Branson Foundation referenced above is a small non-profit based in Morocco, spearheaded by Richard Branson's "mum," Eve Branson. "Our mission is to create opportunities for local people in the High Atlas Mountains which can make a meaningful difference to their families and community," the website reads. "We have developed initiatives in four key areas: artisanal training; environment; healthcare and education. We work alongside award-winning hotel Kasbah Tamadot with a shared commitment to building a healthy and resilient community through our close partnership. Since 2005, our collaborative programmes have helped to sustain livelihoods in the region." The Eve Branson Foundation is currently accepting donations for their Morocco earthquake support fund to aid long-term recovery in the region.

Support your local businesses

Decorah attorneys Nick and Courtney Rowley and family survive Marrakech earthquake