In a third follow-up discussion held yesterday by the Committee on State Control on the subject of the state's preparedness for an earthquake, a disturbing picture emerged of insufficient preparation. A National Security Council representative reported that the proposal that had been formulated by the committee of directors included a budget of about a billion shekels a year, but had not yet been approved by the cabinet committee. The chairman of the committee, MK Mickey Levy (Yesh Atid), expressed outrage at the governmental indifference: "Such an important issue with potential for devastating damage in terms of infrastructure and fatalities, and all I feel is indifference. There is no urgency. Everyone thinks that everything will be fine." "An earthquake in Israel is not a question of 'if', but of 'when'. The State of Israel sits astride the Syrian-African Fault, and yet, thousands of buildings, including educational institutions, do not meet the standard for earthquake resistance." "Many schools, in which our children are educated, were built decades ago, without regard to seismic risk. Shall we wait for a disaster to act? I look at the government ministries and see a disturbing indifference. Budgets are delayed, plans are postponed, and decisions remain on paper. This is irresponsible conduct that endangers human life." He further said: "In Turkey, we saw the terrible price of unpreparedness - should we learn from the tragedy of others? Only recently have reports come in of a number of earthquakes on the Greek island of Santorini that may be a precursor to a larger quake. We must wake up." The director of the Geological Institute, Prof. Zohar Gvirtzman, presented a worrisome scenario according to which without reinforcing buildings, 5,180 fatalities are expected. "We are in a race against the earthquake. If we catch it, we will save lives and property," he emphasized. The mayor of Tverya, Yossi Naba'a, warned: "We have come today in a large delegation, including the entire city administration because we are not here for slogans and empty talk about earthquakes in the city. Any discussion that takes place in the city always returns to the subject of the next disaster that will befall Tverya. The responsibility for this falls only on the government, and not on anyone else." Related articles: BBC sorry for misusing Israeli city in 'settlements' report Fire in Tiberias: Families seen jumping from rooftops New details on Hezbollah's plan to invade northern Israel The Flood in Israel: Olive branch and Tiberias springs "The solutions exist. There was money for this, but it was sent elsewhere. In every discussion we conduct, we speak of urban renewal that will benefit the city's residents. It was decided that 15% of the budget for urban renewal will be allocated to strengthening buildings, but in our city, there is 0 urban renewal." "If we do not do something now, the next national disaster will happen in my city, and I do not know how to explain the 6,000 buildings that require immediate intervention. The municipality building is also obligated to be reinforced and in the moment of truth when a disaster happens we will have nowhere to give service to the residents." The discussion was attended by representatives of the various government ministries, including the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Transportation, the Ministry of Construction and Housing, as well as representatives of the Fire and Rescue Services, the Israel Police, the Home Front Command, United Hatzalah, and the Israel Electric Corporation. At the end of the discussion, the committee decided to send a warning letter to the Prime, Defense, Finance, and Interior Ministers demanding that the matter be addressed immediately. A follow-up discussion will be held in four to five months.
