BICOM

Thousands of homes are still without power and schools in Jerusalem and northern areas remain closed this morning as Israel begins to recover from the most severe storm to strike Israel in several decades.

The inclement weather brought snow as far south as the Negev town of Dimona but especially heavy snowfalls of 40-60cm caused severe disruption to the north and to Jerusalem and its surrounding environs, which was effectively cut off from the rest of the country. Four people died over the weekend due to the conditions and the Israel Electric Company reported this morning 8,000 homes were still without power. Tens of thousands of homes were without electricity over the weekend and the Jerusalem municipality opened emergency shelters for those stranded. On Friday, heavy bulldozers and IDF armoured personnel carriers were deployed to help clear a number of main roads.

This morning, most travel routes are open to traffic although public transportation within Jerusalem is not expected to resume until later today. Schools in Jerusalem, the surrounding areas and some towns in the northern Galilee and Golan regions will remain closed today. Total damage from the weekend storm is estimated by Israel Hayom to cost one billion shekels (£571million).

Meanwhile, questions are being asked regarding Israel’s preparedness for such extreme weather conditions. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet yesterday that although there are lessons to be learned, “I believe that we functioned better than more advanced countries that experience such storms more frequently.” However, opposition and Labour Party leader Isaac Herzog asked why the National Emergency Authority had not been activated and questioned “Why does the average citizen not know where to turn… Why are we always unprepared for the moment of truth?” Fellow Labour MK Nachman Shai described Jerusalem as having been “under siege.” However, commentators Nahum Barnea in Yediot Ahronot and Ben-Dror Yemini in Maariv both rejected suggestions that a commission of enquiry should be formed to investigate the response.