Jerusalem: Sirens heard across several Israeli cities on Monday – but not to warn the population of rocket fire that entered as often happened.
This time drill for warning them on the possibility of an earthquake.
Usually triggered by missile defenses, sirens will now be heard if the national network of 120 seismic monitoring stations detects a strong earthquake.
It can be used to get used to it.
Instead of only the lamentation siren which means “run to a bomb protection” this time the siren is accompanied by the word “earthquake” repeated on loudspeakers.
This implies that the safest open area.
Early warning systems can be found in a small number of countries, such as in Japan or along the west coast of the United States.
What stands out in Israel is the role of the military, whose home commanders are practiced well in warning the public on emergencies with targeted sirens and text messages.
The warning can be a few seconds or half a minute, depending on the distance from the center of the earthquake, but even the moments can save lives, the authorities said.
Dead sea errors flowing between Israel and Jordan are known for seismic activity.
The big earthquake occurred in the area around every hundred years, with the latter happened in 1927, so time was the key, said ITTAI Kurzon, a seismologist and project manager on the Israeli geological survey.
This system has operated off line for more than a year, but when the two relatively small earthquakes hit North Israel last month, things were accelerated, he said.
The geological survey monitors seismic activity all the time, and if the earthquake is at least 4.5 the amount is detected, the military instantly tells and warns the public.
It’s simple but with limitations.
There is a “blind zone” in the area about 25 km (15 miles) from the earthquake point starting, Kurzon said.
If the earthquake is serious about the North Dead Sea, for example, a nearby community will not have a warning.
In Jerusalem, who is outside the blind zone, people will get a 4-5 second anniversary before the Shockwave hit.
Tel Aviv, about 60 km farther west, will have 21 seconds to prepare.