Gaza families evacuated as rain floods streets
Over 80 Palestinian families left homeless after intense October showers wreak havoc in Gaza Strip
Tuesday's heavy rains caused worrying floods in the Gaza Strip, collapsing the sewage infrastructure and causing serious damage to homes and businesses.
In a number of areas the water that seeped into people's homes rose to over 1.5 feet, eyewitnesses reported. The commander of Gaza's civil defense warned of a developing humanitarian crisis in the Strip, saying the local infrastructure was ill equipped to handle such downpours.
Gaza on Tuesday (Photo: AFP)
There were no casualties reported. But heavy rains last year caused a collapse of a sewage pit in Gaza that killed five people.
The civil defense, which reports to the Hamas government in Gaza, said more than 115 homes were
damaged by the floods. The worst damage was reported in the Khan Yunis area, followed by the Shiekh Radwan and Zeitun neighborhoods, and the Shati and Jabaliya refugee camps.
The intense rain is expected to continue throughout the coming night, and thunderstorms are expected throughout most of Israel as well.
The forecast for Wednesday expects the showers to weaken as the day progresses. There is still concern of flooding in southern Israel and the Judean Desert however.
