Strong Winds Leave a Trail of Destruction at Tiberias Lakeside Promenade

Strong winds are reported to have caused millions of shekels worth of damage to Tiberias’ Yigal Alon Promenade in northern Israel over the weekend, ripping up sidewalks, knocking down fences and shattering shop windows on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.

According to the city’s municipality, the wind caused high waves that flooded the promenade, its restaurants, and entertainment venues catering to the tourist trade. The municipality said that Tourism Minister Yoel Razvozov is set to visit the site to inspect the damage.

The damage looked like something out of “horror movies in the United States,” acting mayor Boaz Yosef told the Ynet news site. “I did not believe that the beautiful promenade of Tiberias could be destroyed in a few hours.”

According to Channel 12 correspondent Guy Varon, the winds also sunk boats and knocked down trees.

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Eastern winds with gusts of 140 km/h (86.9 miles per hour) also caused hundreds of thousands of shekels in damage to farms in the Hula Valley. CEO of the Upper Galilee Agriculture Company Ofer Barnea said damage was caused to equipment and produce.