Earthquake in Turkey Shakes Up Israelis

By Yisrael Price

YERUSHALAYIM – B’chasdei shamayim, Israel was spared the deadly effects of the earthquake that killed over 2,300 people in nearby Turkey and Syria, but in northern Israel the tremors were felt distinctly overnight Sunday and on Monday, and in some localities residents were advised to boil water due to possible contamination from the quake.

When a second tremor occurred around midday Monday, it shook buildings in Haifa and hundreds of people rushed outside, looking for open spaces where it might be safer, The Times of Israel reported.

It could be felt as far away as Tel Aviv. “We were in a meeting. We all felt our chairs moving, it was very stressful,” one resident, Yael, told Channel 12.

Moshe Debby, the head of a PR and communications firm, told Army Radio that the high-rise building where he was in Tel Aviv shook for many minutes. “A lamp flew across the room… It was a very unpleasant experience.”

He said that everyone in the building rushed downstairs and out, fearing it could collapse.

Overnight, when the earthquake first struck in Turkey, residents of the north were awakened from sleep by the shaking of their beds.

In the northern coastal town of Pardes Hanna, about a half hour south of Haifa, Tsippora Nalick told Hamodia that at first she thought it was due to the strong winds of the big storm that had been predicted earlier. But soon she realized winds wouldn’t shake the whole building like that, and it must be an earthquake.

The Health Ministry on Monday afternoon advised residents of the Beit She’an Valley and Beit She’an proper to boil water before using it for drinking or cooking, after officials discovered that the earthquake had affected the ground water, causing fear of contamination.

The places included in the advisory were Beit She’an, Gesher, Neveh Ur, Yardena, Hamadiya, Maoz Haim, Neveh Eitan, Beit Yosef, Kfar Ruppin, Ein Hanatziv, Sde Eliyahu, Tirat Zvi, Tel Te’omim, Rehov, Revaya, Sdei Trumot, Merav, Malkishua, Shluchot, Reshafim, Shlafim, Mesilot, Nir David, Mifalei She’an and the Zvaim Park industrial area. 

The advisory, which also applied to using sink water for preparing medicines and brushing teeth, was in effect until further notice from the ministry.

Inevitably, the tremors brought warnings from officials that the country was still unprepared for a major quake.

State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman said: “The earthquakes should turn on a bright warning light to the government of Israel and the local authorities.

“Today, many in Israel felt the earthquake, and perhaps this is the last minute to make the proper preparations to prevent a disaster of this magnitude in our country,” Englman said. “Instead of waiting for a commission of inquiry after a disaster, the government should act on pre-disaster preparedness.” His office is expected to issue a report on the subject in the near future.

Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter warned: “We should always remember it could happen here as well. Construction standards have improved over the years, but this isn’t enough,” Dichter said.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu directed National Security Adviser and Director of the National Security (NSC) Council Tzachi Hanegbi to hold a cross-ministerial assessment of the country’s earthquake readiness.

Housing and Construction Minister Rabbi Yitzhak Goldknopf, UTJ chairman, convened an emergency meeting in his office to review the ministry’s emergency plan.

Chairman of the Knesset’s Internal Affairs and Environment Committee United Torah Judaism MK Yaakov Asher announced a meeting of the committee to discuss the matter next week.