Earthquake in Beit She'an

B"H

Israel's daily MAARIV mentioned it again last week: Within the next years, a new catastrophe is going to take place in Israel. No fire, no flood and no war but … a disastrous earthquake. Scientists have been predicting this for a longer period of time. 13,000 dead, more than 80,000 injured and 10,000 homeless due to a future quake. The center of this earthquake is going to be in the small town of Beit She'an (about half an hour south of Tiberias).

Earthquakes are nothing uncommon in Israel and the last huge disaster of this kind took place in Tiberias and Zfat (Safed) in 1837. However, many scientists include the Jordan Valley as well as Jerusalem's suburb Ma'ale Adumim as well as Jerusalem itself in the future quake catastrophe.

Nobody knows when the earthquake is going to take place but scientists claim that it will happen for sure. Soon and within the next few years. I already know what is going to happen to most houses: They will fall apart within seconds. When Israelis build a house, it is build cheap and it looks cheap. I don't understand why people pay up to 1,5 million Shekels (or more) in order to build a house. After all the cheap labour and material, the new house just looks like a dump and already after a few weeks or months, things start falling apart. Let alone an earthquake happening.

What is the solution ? How are we going to survive such a catastrophe ? No one has an answer and the only solution seems to be "PRAYER".

I overslept the last quake happening. This was a few weeks ago when I was in Zfat (Safed). About six or seven years ago, another earthquake took place in Jerusalem. Even the Kotel (Western Wall) was involved than. However, I didn't feel anything when the earth started moving. Nevertheless, in November 1995, I woke up when my bed started moving. It was a scary situation and first you think that a huge truck may have passed the house but then you realize that there is something unnatural. I was frightened but the quake was over after half a minute or so. In such a situation you are simply helpless and not even G - d came into my mind. This experience was enough and I am definitely not looking forward to a new quake with the predicted strength of 7,5.