Six months after war, shelters still not ready

While Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss clash, the Prime Minister's Office published yesterday a document summarizing the lessons learned by ministries, the Israel Defense Forces Home Front Command and local authorities in the six months following the war.

The document covers emergency preparedness in shelters, evacuation policy, provision of food and medicine, urban command and communication centers and reorganization of the bodies that handle the home front, including the Emergency Economic Authority.

The document shows both the failures that came to light during the war and the slow pace at which government and military agencies move.

According to the document, only in February did the Home Front Command determine standards that shelters must meet to allow for extended stays. In the coming months the Northern Rehabilitation Administration will work with the local authorities to map out exactly what is needed in each shelter to bring it up to the new standards.

Only last month did PMO Director-General Ra'anan Dinur decide to "accelerate dealing with the shelters in the North" and the collection of data about roughly 6,000 public and private underground shelters in the North was completed.

Underground parking to be used for shelter

This, despite the fact that already in September the Interior Ministry notified the local authorities that they were obligated to ensure shelters were in proper order, and in December NIS 450 million was transferred to the authorities in part for that purpose.

The ministry announced in January that it intends to advance proposed benefits for the construction of underground parking lots, so that the lower levels can be used for protection.

In the Arab sector, the pace is even slower.

By the end of March the Home Front Command will present a cost estimate for fortifying public buildings. To date information has been filed from eight local authorities on 40 structures that contain areas that can be converted into protected areas.

During the war it became evident that there is nowhere to absorb evacuees from rocket-struck areas. The prime minister therefore ordered the formation of a team to look into the issue, but it was only formed in December, and is expected to complete its work in May.

The Home Front Command has yet to set up warning sirens that can be heard in all parts of the North, but will do so by next month, assuming manufacturing and import capacity allows it.

One of the lessons in a relatively advanced stage of implementation is the formation of liaison units to coordinate between local authorities and the Home Front Command, which will be manned by next month.