Town Mayor Believes 10,000 Lives Maybe Lost in Earthquake in Beit She’an

In recent news, the government in the State of Israel ran some assessments on the upcoming earthquakes and revealed that no less than 10,000 people will lose their lives in Beit She’an. The massive earthquake is all set to hit the northern town, as revealed by the mayor. Jacky Levy, the Mayor of Beit She’an, further announced that he had been informed in the year 2005 about the damage that Beit She’an would have to face if an earthquake was ever to hit the fault line between Syria and Africa. The massive earthquake, on account of the proximity it has to the rift, as well as the particularly poor standard of building in the town, will cause much destruction to the town that houses around 20,000 residents.

A former MK from the Likud, Levy, took to talking about the recent two earthquakes that have occurred in the Jewish state. Both the disasters took place within 12 hours of each other, shaking the country and its people to their very core. The Geological Survey of Israel indulged details of the devastating earthquakes, revealing that one had occurred at 11:36 pm on Saturday night, which had a magnitude of 3.7. In addition, its epicenter had been close to 19 kilometers to the northeast of the town of Beit She’an. 

A couple of hours after the first earthquake hit the State of Israel, another one shortly followed around noon on Sunday. This one had a recorded magnitude of 3.5 and was centered in close proximity to the city of Tiberias. According to the Mayor of the northern town, all the relevant authorities are aware that an earthquake will occur and leave behind damaging consequences in its wake but are not willing to do anything about it. He believes that the country lacks the expertise on how to deal with a natural disaster of this kind, which is why the number of casualties recorded will be significant. 

Levy went on to add that during his tenure as the Deputy Minister of Construction, between the years of 2015 and 2018, the experts in the field and the government had presented a plan to the cabinet related to earthquake control. Where finances are concerned, an investment of NIS 5 billion had been required to ensure the success of the plan. The outline consisted of reinforcement of buildings in various hotspots, such as Safed, Tiberias, Beit She’an, as well as other places. Moreover, it also pertained to all the cities located along the Syrian African fault line. However, according to the mayor, the money was never allocated by the relevant personnel. 

The former Likud MK believes that the solution for these earthquakes is to take action, especially in the areas designated as hotspots, rather than talking about it. He stressed the importance of an immediate budget, which would focus on reinforcing buildings that are at the risk of collapsing. Meanwhile, experts believe that the two earthquakes that have hit the Jewish state should act as a wake-up call for the members of the government. In addition, security bodies should move towards making adequate preparations for another one that is likely to occur.