City reviews earthquake plans

The city's emergency branch has estimated that a large quake would kill 900 people instantly, injure 6,400 severely, and create 20,000 refugees.

By MIRIAM BULWAR DAVID-HAY
The recent wave of earth tremors in Israel has sent officials scurrying to take a second look at Tel Aviv's preparedness for a severe earthquake, reports Yediot Tel Aviv. A major aspect of the city's plans is the creation of special teams authorized to assist professional rescue workers in treating injured and trapped people and evacuating residents from dangerous buildings. According to the report, the city's emergency branch has estimated that a large quake would kill 900 people instantly, injure 6,400 severely, and create 20,000 refugees. The age of many Tel Aviv buildings is a concern, with the emergency branch expecting 350 to collapse during a quake, a further 750 to be severely damaged and a further 1,000 to be moderately damaged, but still evacuated. In addition, 10 percent of food chains would be damaged, causing instant shortages, especially of baby foods; 5% of residents would be cut off from running water, 10% of homes would be flooded with sewage, and 10% of health services would be damaged. According to the plan, each special team sent to treat injured and trapped residents would be headed by seven firefighters and rescuers and would comprise a total of 50 people. A number of municipal workers who have been authorized to be part of the teams have recently undergone special training courses in search and rescue methods.