BICOM

Israel experienced widespread disruption yesterday due to a serious winter storm which struck the north of the country and the Jerusalem area particularly hard.

Preparations for the storm had been made in advance by Israel’s authorities. There was widespread criticism last year after a severe winter storm effectively cut off Jerusalem and other areas for several days. As soon as snow began to fall yesterday, the major routes to Jerusalem were closed and were reopened only intermittently in tandem with the snow fall.

Meanwhile, schools and educational institutions were closed in Jerusalem, its surrounding areas and also in northern towns and cities. Meanwhile, the Israel Electric Company said that 17,000 homes were without power, mainly in the central towns and cities of Netanya, Petah Tikva, Ra’anana, Rehovot, Rishon Lezion, Ashdod and Ashkelon which experienced torrential rainfall and high winds. In Tel Aviv, the storm felled 39 trees, 15 traffic lights and 15 power lines.

Weather reports said that yesterday some 90 cm of snow fell in Mount Hermon, the country’s highest peak, 40 cm in the northern Golan Heights, 10 cm in Safed and in the West Bank city of Hebron.

The inclement weather also claimed the life of 13-year-old boy on a road between Beit Shemesh and Tzur Hadassah. A bus lost control due to the icy conditions and slammed into a nearby vehicle. Two other people were also moderately injured in the incident. Meanwhile, an eight-month-old Palestinian infant died yesterday in Tulkarm in the West Bank, due to a fire caused by a heating stove to combat the cold. The Palestinian Authority declared a state of emergency in the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank due to the adverse weather conditions.

Temperatures are expected to remain low today, although the storm is predicted to weaken. However, this may result in icy conditions and the snow fall is expected to resume on Friday with hail, strong winds and rain set to continue throughout the weekend.