Emergency service agencies are busy preparing for what is promised to be the first major winter storm, beginning on Tuesday evening 3 Kislev. Forecasters expect major thundershowers and heavy winds beginning at 8:00PM Tuesday, lasting a number of hours. The storm is expected to continue during the night but the heaviest rains will only last a few hours, forecasters explain.

The main concerns being addressed by Israel Police, Israel Fire and the Israel Electric Company (IEC) is flooding in low-lying areas and areas prone to flash floods. IEC officials realize such a storm is usually accompanied by downed trees, which result in outages.

Police will be calling in additional manpower ahead of the storm including more dispatchers at the ‘100’ emergency center, Israel’s equivalent of ‘911’ in N. America.

Police urge motorists to stay off the road if and when possible and to exercise caution and to drive in line with the inclement weather conditions. Local government, Israel Police, IEC, MDA, Ichud Hatzalah, Zaka and other agencies are preparing for the predicted major storm.

IEC officials warn the tzibur that if one sees downed electric lines to distance oneself from the potential life-threatening danger and to call the utility to report the situation immediately.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)