An earthquake measuring 4.4 on the Richter scale was felt in
many parts of the Central Region at 8:00 am Shabbos morning.
The epicenter was near the Dead Sea.
The earthquake was felt in the Sharon Region, the Jerusalem
area, the Tel Aviv area, Petach Tikva, Kfar Sava, Raanana,
Netanya and coastal plain communities. No injuries or damage
were reported.
The last major earthquake in Israel took place 90 years ago,
and was centered in Greece. In recent years the majority of
earthquakes have been centered in the Dead Sea area and the
Jordan Valley. Readiness assessments show that Israel is
unprepared for a major earthquake.
Last week the Ministerial Committee for Earthquake
Preparedness, headed by National Infrastructures Minister
Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, decided to allocate NIS 10 billion
($2.3 billion) for a multiyear plan to improve and reinforce
buildings to help them withstand powerful earthquakes.
