Abstract: This study examines how residents of areas affected by the Al Haouz earthquake disaster in Morocco used social media and evaluates the effectiveness of this usage in managing the situation, mitigating the negative consequences of the disaster, highlighting the humanitarian needs of the affected individuals, and addressing the cognitive, psychological, social and practical needs of the sample participants. The study employed a methodological strategy based on a descriptive approach, combining both quantitative and qualitative analysis, through a survey of a purposive sample of 155 respondents from affected areas, using a questionnaire tool. The results revealed that Facebook was the most popular social media platform used by the sample group to access news and information about the Al Haouz earthquake disaster. Official government pages were the most followed sources for earthquake-related news and information. The study also showed that the emotional impacts of the earthquake were the most prominent, reflecting the significant psychological effects resulting from the participants’ engagement with news and updates about the disaster. The main obstacles to using social media during the disaster period were technical, particularly the limited access to the internet and mobile networks. Therefore, there is a need to integrate social media into the government’s communication strategy for managing crisis and disaster communications in the future, particularly by the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, given the critical importance of communication with citizens during such times. Keywords: Al Haouz Earthquake, Social Media, Crisis and Disaster Management, Communication, Morocco.
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