Last update - 00:00 29/01/2008
Air and sea ports suffer as stormy weather sweeps across Israel
By Jack Khoury, Jonathan Lis, Haaretz Correspondent, and Haaretz Service
Stormy weather swept across the country on Tuesday, causing delays at Ben-Gurion International Airport and forcing the Haifa sea port to partially close down.
At least eight arrivals to Ben Gurion Airport were delayed Tuesday due to the severe weather conditions.
One of the flights, operated by Iberian Airlines, returned to Cyprus after it was unable to land in Tel Aviv.
The remainder of the flights landed at Ben-Gurion Airport later than their scheduled time.
The delays of the arrivals have affected the airport's departure schedule as well.
Six domestic flights on the Rosh Pina-Tel Aviv line were canceled due to the weather. CEO of the "Ayit" airline company told Army Radio that the decision to cancel the flights was made in order to prevent any harm to the passengers.
Meanwhile, Jerusalem's municipality started preparations Tuesday morning for snowstorms. Light snow began to fall on the hilly city in the evening.
Welfare officials sought out 40 homeless people, moving some to hotel rooms that the municipality rented for them, and for those who refused to evacuate, the city handed out blankets and coats.
Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski said more than 500 kilometers of roads leading to hospitals and neighborhoods would be cleared and kept open in any weather. The city will also spread salt on main thoroughfares.
Snow has been falling on Mount Hermon since the morning, dropping at least 15 centimeters. The manager of the Hermon ski site said that "we hope that this is the snow that we will open the ski season with. We need snow to be at least 40-50 centimeters deep, and according to reports, there is a good chance the site will open this weekend."
An elderly man and an infant from Bedouin villages were taken to Soroka Medical Center in Be'er Sheva to be treated for hypothermia. Also on Tuesday, a 40-year-old homeless man was taken to the medical center when his body temperature was standing on 29 degrees Celsius.
Magen David Adom said that so far in the current cold spell more than 10 people have died of cold and more than 20 people were taken to hospital suffering from hypothermia, mostly elderly and small children.
Several Galilee communities on Monday prepared tractors and snow ploughs to clear roads that might be blocked by snow. The Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) has beefed up its maintenance and work crews in the North and equipped them with vehicles with snow chains.
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