Carmel Fire Proves Inability to Prevent Disasters, Damage Estimated at NIS 270 M

06/12/2010 Firefighters gained control over the Carmel blaze on Sunday afternoon, after four days of battling the flames that caused the deaths of 41 people - and three days before the state comptroller is expected to release a scathing report, revealing governmental lapses in the handling of firefighting preparedness.

The fire has also raised concerns within “Israel” over the government's lack of financial readiness to ward off other disasters.

Between three and five centimeters of rain fell on the region overnight and more was expected over the course of Monday. Fires were still blazing near Isfiya and Ein Hod (link added) Sunday night. Chief firefighter Shimon Romach said Monday morning the change in weather would likely cut the amount of time his crew would need to be in the area.

Based on initial estimates, 250 housing units were severely damaged. Also, it is estimated that the damage to the affected communities and to property will run between NIS 120-150 million, along with about another NIS 120 million in damage to forests and roads.

State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss said Sunday he would not postpone the release of a report on the fire service that his office is now compiling, after Netanyahu asked him to expand the document to include a critique of the government's preparedness for the Carmel fire.

Lindenstrauss is expected to issue the report Wednesday, but is due to meet with staff in his office on Monday to discuss whether to undertake a separate investigation of the Carmel fire. Some see Netanyahu's request as a way of providing the public with an investigation of the wildfire, without having to establish a commission of inquiry.

The crippling blaze has highlighted the fact that Israel may not be financially ready to prevent natural or chemical disasters of other sorts, according to a Haaretz analysis.

For instance, the 2011 budget of the inter-ministerial steering committee that deals with earthquake preparedness is zero: There is no funding whatsoever, despite the fact that the committee submitted a request for money for, among other things, civil rescue units, a warning system, data collection, earthquake-risk assessments, and public education and information efforts.

A ministerial committee approved the budget, but the cabinet has yet to do so, so the committee in question will begin the new year with nothing.
Also, just as the inadequacies of the country's firefighting services were known to the country's leaders for years, so too are the lapses in aviation safety.

Recent health ministry reports also find that Israel would be unable to prevent a potential epidemic and has found that Israel could still be left lacking hospital beds and doctors in the posited worst-case scenario - a quarter of the population (1.6 million people ) sick, 10,000 hospitalized and 2,900 dying.

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