Earlier this month, two natural disasters in the span of three days hit the countries of Morocco and Libya, leaving thousands dead.

In Morocco, a rare, powerful earthquake struck the region close to the historic city of Marrakech.

The force of the earthquake collapsed buildings and impacted areas as far as the mountains, which has made rescue efforts especially hard.

Just two days later, torrential rainfall from a Mediterranean storm triggered widespread flooding.

Dams broke and swept away entire neighborhoods, leaving destruction and political unrest in its wake.

On Monday, 16 officials were detained as part of an investigation in Libya into the flood disaster.

Tommaso Della Longa, a spokesperson for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, joined host Errol Louis Tuesday night on "Inside City Hall" to discuss the earthquake and flooding.

“Unfortunately, this emergency response will not be a sprint,” Della Longa said. “We call it a marathon and most probably will stay with us for the months and years to come.”

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is the world's largest humanitarian network, supporting more than 191 countries and reaching 160 million people each year.