Severe storms in northern Israel cause flooding, injuries and death

Tree falls on one man; another dies after being hit by a car. But at least one Haifa resident figured out how to have some fun amid the storm this year, traversing the flooded streets with a jet ski.

By AARON REICH
Flooding in Haifa (photo credit: MAGEN DAVID ADOM)
Flooding in Haifa
(photo credit: MAGEN DAVID ADOM)
Winter in Israel means rain, but this past weekend the country's North was dealing with much more than a slight drizzle.
Storms in the North have caused severe flooding in the streets, with one pedestrian confirmed killed and others seriously injured due to the weather, Srugim reported.

This is after a flood warning was issued Friday for the Northern Coastal Plain, with residents warned to expect 50 to 75 millimeters of rainfall. 
In Kiryat Bialik on Thursday night, Magen David Adom (MDA) volunteers rescued a 40-year-old man who was seriously injured after a tree fell on him.
"When we arrived, we saw a large tree crashed on a vehicle, and next to it a man who was hit by the tree," said senior MDA medic Alex Buchman. "He was conscious and suffered bruises on his upper body. We gave him medical treatment and sent him to the ICU for [further] treatment."
Saturday night brought even more crises as first responders rescued several civilians trapped in their cars in the middle of the flood.
"We received a report of two vehicles stuck in front of a gas station," said Haifa fire station chief, Capt. Gal Pearl, according to Srugim. “We spotted a girl stuck when the water reached half the height of the vehicle. She was unable to get out of the vehicle because of an electrical issue, and the windows were closed. We rescued her after breaking the glass."
A family of six was trapped in a vehicle as well.
"We were able to rescue them," Pearl said.
This was after at least 10 people were reportedly rescued from vehicles in the Haifa area on Friday.
Also Saturday night, a 53-year-old man was struck by a car at Haifa's Coca-Cola junction. His death was confirmed by doctors at Haifa's Rambam Medical Center. Police are investigating the circumstances of the accident, Srugim reported.
Floods are a regular occurrence in Israel's winters, with last January seeing severe flooding in the North as well, forcing the closure of several roads, stranding drivers on the roofs of their cars and causing the death of an IDF soldier.
In addition, this past week was characterized by extremely difficult weather conditions for much of Israel, including snowfall on Mount Hermon, and property damage in Ashkelon and Ashdod due to flooding and strong winds throughout much of the week, damaging property throughout the country.
However, at least one resident in Haifa figured out how to have some fun amid the storm, traversing the flooded streets with a jet ski.



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