Asserting that Israel had prepared effectively for what he called a “once-in-a-century” storm, Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu night praised the country’s authorities and its citizens for pulling together and averting disaster. “Thanks to the efficient work and excellent coordination… in almost impossible conditions,” he said, “many lives were saved.”
Netanyahu was speaking at a televised emergency meeting of city officials in Yerushalayim – which was battered at the weekend by the worst ever December storm on record, and arguably the worst storm ever in modern Israeli history. “In other countries, storms like this have caused many losses of life.” He also thanked the IDF for making armored vehicles quickly available to clear blocked roads.
Opposition head Isaac Herzog (Labor), however, charged there had been a failure to prepare effectively. Herzog said he had warned of the severity of the storm on Wednesday. “My warnings fell on deaf ears,” he said, adding that Israel “should have activated the National Emergency Authority. There is a lack of preparedness.” Herzog also called the televised a meeting a “public relations stunt” that was inappropriate at a time when “thousands of Israelis don’t have any electricity.”
The storm left tens of thousands of households nationwide without electricity, downed 600 power lines, and closed the main roads into Yerushalayim for 48 hours.
Four fatalities were reported between Wednesday and SHabbos, but Netanyahu said the consequences could have been far worse. “We made saving lives a priority,” he said, with the focus on initiating contact with the elderly, the sick, and other needy and vulnerable Israelis. Read more at Times of Israel.
{Matzav.com Israel}
Some citizens are being too hard on the government. As the latest snow storm in the Middle East shows, some events are out of the box. Also actuaries, analysts and hedge fund managers worldwide would sell their grandmothers at the drop of a hat if they could get their hands on the Secret Future Weather Predictor Algorithm. So the moral of this meteorological story is that small changes in geometries in one place can have major effects elsewhere. “The Butterfly Effect” you could such a theory.
The correct Na’vi interpretation of the storm is as follows…
Many Syrian refugees are suffering terribly from the onset of cold weather. When we pretend that the suffering of others is not of concern to us, because they are…
(a) Different
(b) Arab
(c) Lesser Souls
G-d will intervene and inform us that we should not think that way. He can do this gently, if we are amenable to reason, or he can turn the universe upside down to get a point across. So what should the State of Israel do about its neighbour Syria ?
It must truly play its part in the redeeming, i.e. counter-balancing of the Middle East. An “International Peace Conference” should be held in Jerusalem soon. First week’s agenda “The Polio Outbreak in Syria”. A modern day “Tent of Meeting” should be erected on the south east corner of the Haram al Sharif. Ongoing deliberations and meetings will need to take place in the weeks and months following the initial conference. (As an historical model, the “Peace of Westphalia” in the late 1640’s was comprised of a series of set piece/time limited meetings and more open ended meetings between various groups.)
Please take note…People everywhere must realize that the world really is interconnected in quite amazing ways.
How much of the government response was improvised,and how much was based on prior contingency planning including training?
We,We,We….As always no mention whatsoever of the One who really saved the situation…”OF COURSE IT WAS HASHEM !” as every kid knows except the prime-minister !
Israel was so not prepared for the snow
I’m the real Charlie Hall and I run the world.