Rosy Davidov and her children
Photo: Raanan Ben-Zur
Hadera residents find locked shelters
Givat Olga neighborhood residents say public shelters were locked during Friday’s rocket attack nearby; ‘If Katyushas do fall here the survivors will be those who will be able to enter the shelter; the rest will have to wait outside and pray that the rockets don’t land near them,’ woman says
Friday’s rocket attack on the Hadera area caught the city by surprise.
Givat Olga residents said the neighborhood public shelters were locked during the attack, adding that in any case the number of shelters is insufficient.
“We didn’t know what to do after the siren was activated,” resident Rosy Davidov told Ynet. “We were frightened. I got the children ready to go down to the shelter when a loud boom was heard.
“The shelter was very crowded, some people were waiting outside. I realized we had no chance so I decided to leave for my sister’s neighborhood, where they have a large shelter. I will not let anything happen to my flowers (children).”
'Shelters were built in the 60s'
Many residents gathered at the public shelter on the corner of Rishonim and Negev streets in Givat Olga.
The shelter serves members of the “Drug Addicts Anonymous” organization.
“The shelter can hold a maximum of 50 people, and there are hundreds of residents who may need to use it,” Jaclyn Gueta said. “We feel as though the municipality is abandoning us. If Katyushas do fall here the survivors will be those who will be able to enter the shelter; the rest will have to wait outside and pray that the rockets don’t land near them.”
Hadera Mayor Haim Avitan said in response that “the city was prepared for every scenario; these are shelters that were built in the 1960s, and every report by citizens regarding a problem with them is immediately dealt with by municipal workers.”
As to the claim that public shelters in the city are too small Avitan said “in case of a rocket attack residents must remain in protected spaces inside their homes.”
Keren Nathanzon contributed to the report
