Channels

Photo: George Ginsburg
Children at school
Photo: George Ginsburg

Israel lacking on earthquake warning for schools

There are no plans to fit early warning systems in tens of thousands of schools, kindergartens and day-care centers that cater to some 1.5 million children in Israel.

Thousands of Israeli schools, kindergartens and day-care centers have fallen through the cracks and could end up without earthquake early warning systems. Such systems already exist at new educational institutions that were built after 2011, while those built before 1980 will also soon be equipped with the same.

 

 

As for the remaining educational institutions – some 2,700 schools, 13,000 kindergartens and thousands of day-care centers, catering to around 1.5 million children in total – there are no plans as yet to fit them with the early warning systems.

 

A recent Local Government Economic Services tender for the installation of the early warning systems was won by Reshef Security, a part of the Tigbur Group, and EQ Warning Systems Ltd. EQ's system is in operation in numerous locations around the world, including Japan and Chile.

 

Israeli rescue personnel head to Nepal. But what about at home? (Photo: Yaron Sharon)
Israeli rescue personnel head to Nepal. But what about at home? (Photo: Yaron Sharon)

 

"The program is insufficient. The government must immediately instruct treasury officials to budget for warning systems in all public and educational institutions," says Avi Naim, the head of the Beit Aryeh Local Council and chairman of the Local Government Authority's Security Council. "A solution must be provided for all the children of Israel."

 

Thus far, early warning systems have been installed in only a few hundred of the older schools, in local authorities that could afford the expense of purchasing the systems for the institutions in their jurisdictions. Local authorities that don't have the means haven't purchased the systems. And the result: Only a small number of schools, primarily in wealthy locations such as Tel Aviv, Haifa, Nes Ziona and Savyon, have purchased the sophisticated systems.

 

In schools, for example, in Safed, which was destroyed by an earthquake in 1837, there are no early warning systems, with municipal authorities putting it down to "a matter of priorities." And the same goes for Hatzor HaGlilit, where according to local council head Shimon Suissa, "We have never considered installing such systems, and we certainly don’t have the money to do so."

 

"During the course of 2015-2016, the plan is to install the system in all schools that were built before 1980," says Shuki Plein, deputy CEO of the Tigbur Group. "The system has been installed in numerous places around the world, but many local authorities in Israel have yet to adopt any system and Israeli students are exposed to earthquakes. Everyone knows that an earthquake is only a matter of time."

 

Israel was last struck by a deadly earthquake some 88 years ago.

 


פרסום ראשון: 04.29.15, 21:38
 new comment
Warning:
This will delete your current comment