State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman warns in a report that 93% of at-risk buildings in northeast Israel are prone to collapse in the event of a strong earthquake.
The report comes a month after a powerful earthquake struck Turkey and Syria, killing over 50,000 people.
According to the report, the 1,208 buildings in cities such as Teveriya, Tzefas, Beit She’an, Kiryat Shemona, and Hatzor Haglilit were marked for urgent upgrading in 2018 but have not been strengthened despite repeated warnings.
Only 70% of the 54 schools earmarked for upgrading have been improved, the report adds.
The report also warns that at the current rate, it would take decades to protect all existing at-risk buildings from earthquakes.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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3 Responses
Hashem, you know what to do.
Not surprising. There are multiple issues in high rise buildings including absence of sprinkler systems in many older buildings. Yet, real estate interests have used economic arguments to block or weaken proposals to upgrade their properties (i.e. threatening massive rent increases to recover their costs).
Why show a time wave form without displaying the increments and amplitudes?!?