"Our greatest fear is of an earthquake with an epicenter in the Jordan Valley and Bet She'an region, since it could cause severe damage in Tel Aviv, in towns in the central region, in Haifa and in Jerusalem." This warning came yesterday from Seismological Institute head Dr. Avi Shapira, at a one day seminar on earthquakes held by the School of Insurance of the Netanya Academic College.
Shapira said that an earthquake ranking 6 on the Richter Scale causes heavy damage within a radius of 70 kilometers. The vulnerable region for earthquakes is the Syrian-African Rift along the Jordan river. "Israel is a minuscule country, and almost all towns and villages are within a 70 kilometer radius of the Rift."
The head of the Seismological Institute further said, "Earthquakes happen in places with a previous history of earthquakes. Earthquakes took place along the Syrian-African Rift in the past, so it is clear that there will be additional ones.
"It is highly likely that an earthquake will take place in Israel in the next fifty years, and almost certain there will be one within a hundred years. The more time that passes without one, the higher the chances are such an event will take place in the future."
Shapira said the institute is cooperating with seismological stations in Jordan.
Prof. Yaakov Glick from the Haifa Technion, an international earthquake expert, said many local authorities are unaware of the dangers of an earthquake taking place, and are not taking necessary steps. "Concrete-reinforced rooms in homes will not provide good protection in the event of an earthquake, if the foundations do not conform to the strictest of standards, " he said.
Home Front Command chief Col. Avi Gross said that only 350,000 apartments, accounting for 20% of all apartments in Israel, are equipped with concrete-reinforced rooms that provide adequate protection in the event of an earthquake.
Published by Israel's Business Arena on September 15, 1999