With a major snowfall predicted in Israel over the next couple days – as much as two feet of snow in higher elevations in northern Israel, according to some forecasts – Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat is taking preemptive steps to avoid the chaos of last winter’s snowstorm.
Speaking at a press conference from the municipality’s snow preparedness center, Nir Barkat said roads leading in and out of the capital would be blocked to traffic to prevent a repeat of 2013’s massive snowstorm, when hundreds of cars were trapped in drifts along main highways.
The police, said Barkat, “will block and will not allow traffic on the main roads, the entrance to the city, on the main arteries inside Jerusalem. This is to allow the plows and the security services to keep the roads open, primarily for saving lives.”
Barkat also asked Jerusalem residents to take responsibility for their own homes, and to be proactive in checking on their neighbors.
The Fellowship, which launched our annual Winter Warmth initiative just last week, stands poised to offer emergency aid to Israeli residents should the need arise – just as we did during the major snowstorm in Israel last year.
