On Tuesday, the tropical country of Haitiexperienced an earthquake with a magnitude of 7 on the Richter scale.Statistically speaking, Israel is likely to experience an earthquake ofsimilar magnitude, sometime in the next 50 years. "We know for certainthat it will happen in Israel and we know that as time goes on, thechances of it taking place in our lifetimes is greater," said Dr. AviShapira, the head of the government steering committee for earthquakepreparedness.
Thelast major earthquake to occur in the region was a 6.2 magnitude quake,which took place 100 kilometers south of Eilat in 1995. The last fatalearthquake took place in 1927 and was also measured at 6.2 in theRichter scale. Nearly 500 people were killed.
Israel's eastern border runs along one of the world's seismichotspots, the Syrian-African rift fault line. With the averagetime-span between earthquakes on the same scale in the regions standingat 80 years, geology experts agree that Israel is long overdue for thenext major earthquake and that it can happen at any time. Even with thebest available equipment notice will be short.
This poses a significant threat to population centers in thecountry, since many buildings in Israel were erected prior to theformulation of earthquake-resistant construction codes. Thegovernment's response to the danger, approved in 2005, is a nationalreadiness program called Tama 38.
Tama 38 authorizes renovation permits to buildingswhose plans were approved prior to 1980, the time when strict buildingcodes were established. The idea behind the program is that by givingbuilding owners incentives in terms of tax breaks on renovations oradding apartments, the owners will improve the building's resistance toearthquakes, the assumption being that it is the crumbling buildingsand not the earthquakes themselves that lead to fatalities.
One of the ways in which a building can be strengthened is byenclosing its first floor. Many older buildings in Israel are built oncolumns, which geologists say are an obvious hazard. Another is byinstalling an elevator shaft, which adds strength and stability toolder buildings.Apartfrom Tama 38, which is meant to reduce the damage caused byearthquakes, emergency services are all trained to respond in a case ofa major earthquake. If such a quake takes place primary responsibilitywill be granted to the Home Front Command. The following is the HomeFront Command's list of recommended instructions on how to prepare forand act in the case of an earthquake:
Initial preparations: Any object which can move, fall or break, is a source of danger. Make sure you perform thorough home preparations. Earthquakes damage infrastructure - roads are demolished,electrical and telephone cables tear and water pipes burst. Rescue andrelief units will have difficulty accessing every area, and certainlyevery house. Preparing an emergency bag will allow you to survive for24 to 72 hours, until help arrives. Most casualties in an earthquake are caused by collapse ofshelves and heavy objects or by fire and gas leaks. Therefore, it isadvisable to take the trouble today and do the following homepreparations: