Earthquakes and the Threat of National Relevance

“An earthquake is a natural phenomenon and not in any way a disaster. What man does or fails to do turns it into a disaster” (quoted from a report by the National Steering Committee for Earthquake Readiness).

When an earthquake strikes where the population is unprepared, it causes a sudden multi-casualty disaster (SMCD). People are killed, injured, get trapped in the wreckage, and lose their homes. Such an event not only has mental and social implications, but also affects the economy, environment, and infrastructures. These effects can last for weeks, months, or be permanent. When an earthquake strikes where the population is prepared, the damage it causes is limited and tolerable. An earthquake that leads to a SMCD can either occur in Israel within seconds, within a decade, or within 50 years. Therefore preparations should be made as soon as possible based on the assumption that an earthquake will strike the same area a second time at a similar magnitude. Deadly earthquakes have occurred in Israel. Even though it is impossible to predict when, where, and at what magnitude the next earthquake will strike, we can predict where and at what magnitude strong earthquakes will strike.

There Is a Problem—but There Is Also a Solution

The National Security Unit offers services to security and private organizations in Israel and abroad to enhance their readiness for potential emergency scenarios. The National Security Unit's Rescue Department is headed by senior veterans of the Home Front Command and offers training programs on disaster management; these programs including theoretical and practical training for rescue teams that operate within the organization. Furthermore, the department delivers workshops on moral strength and work in stressful situations. We will prepare a list of elementary rescue gear and train your team to enhance their response to real-time events. We also offer training programs to organization managers, which teach how to manage organizations during and after an emergency or a disaster.

The more we train the population in responding to earthquake scenarios, the more confident they will become in their ability to handle such situations.