Moroccans in the United States are rapidly mobilising to send aid back home and help in relief efforts after large swathes of rural Morocco are in ruin, following the weekend's earthquake.

In the US, members of the Moroccan diaspora are hooked to their phones, watching helplessly as a drip feed of horror arrives with each passing hour.

With an estimated 128,000 Moroccans living in the US, everyone seems to know someone back home impacted by the earthquake.

"We wish we were there to help out physically," said Laila Mounia Alaoui, whose family back in Morocco survived the quake but had their home partially damaged, forcing them to sleep in the open since Friday evening. 

"But what we can do [right now] is provide some material things to help - like tents and other basics," Alaoui told MEE.

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'Wish we were there to help': Moroccans in US leap to assist earthquake relief