Winter Storm Floods Israeli Towns and More Than 70,000 Tents in Gaza
Two inches of rain fell in an hour in Binyamina, a Dead Sea highway was briefly shut, and displaced Gaza families woke to water in their shelters.
See where this is ›JERUSALEM, Israel —
A winter storm that swept the eastern Mediterranean coast Friday night and Saturday, Nov. 7, flooded streets in Israel and soaked more than 70,000 tents where displaced families are living in the Gaza Strip, the Times of Israel reported.
The Israel Meteorological Service reported heavy rain along the coast and in parts of the inland plains. About 50 millimeters, or 2 inches, fell in one hour Saturday morning in Binyamina, flooding the town. Tel Aviv recorded 40 millimeters since Friday night, Haifa 31, Jerusalem 28 and the Sea of Galilee 5.
Homes in and around Gan Yavne, near Ashdod, were without power for most of Saturday after storm damage to the grid late Friday, according to Ynet. Police closed Route 90 near the Dead Sea for part of the morning before reopening it, and the Health Ministry told people not to swim at Mediterranean beaches because runoff may have carried sewage into the sea. Forecasters said rain would stop overnight and return off and on through the coming week.
In Gaza, the Hamas-run civil defense agency said it took 1,500 distress calls from displaced residents, and three empty houses collapsed without injuries. Injuries were reported but no deaths. Maryam Odeh, 34, who lives with her children in Deir al-Balah, said, “We no longer know how to protect our children.”
See where this is ›Hamas-run municipal and civil defense officials said they could not keep up because of fuel shortages and damaged equipment, and blamed Israel for destroying vehicles during the war and keeping out construction machinery. Mustafa Qazzaat, a member of the Hamas-run Gaza City council, told AFP that Gaza “needs 200,000 prefabricated homes urgently.”
COGAT, the Israeli Defense Ministry body that coordinates aid to Gaza, did not immediately respond to those charges. In a Friday statement it said it had stepped up work with international groups to improve sanitation before the rain. Israel has said it will not allow rebuilding until Hamas disarms and gives up control of the territory.
What we don't know yet: The claims by Hamas-run officials about equipment and shelter could not be independently confirmed, and COGAT had not answered them in detail.
