Sunday, January 24, 2010

The Mother of All Floods

Yossie Fatael, managing Director, Israel Travel Agents Associations, back from the Negev with pictures and films from last week's floods.
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5 comments:

Anonymous said...

wow, impressive pictures!
and the music?

johannes, vienna

January 25, 2010 at 3:12 AM
Barry Meislin said...

Fabulous! Thanks for posting this.

January 25, 2010 at 9:21 AM
Joe in Australia said...

What does this mean for Israel's water crisis? Is it over, or at least relieved?

January 25, 2010 at 2:09 PM
Yaacov said...

Alas, Joe, on the national level it means nothing. These floods were in the Negev, a desert area from which it's impossible to extract water except,sometimes, for focused local needs. It will make the Negev a bit greener this year, and will strengthen those desert trees you see in some of the pictures for a few years. Israel's needs for water aren't effected - nor resolved - by what goes on deep in the desert.

On the other hand, at least in the north (galillee), this year's percipitation is rather good, and that will be useful. Then again, in the center of the country it is so far a bit less good than usual, but we can still hope it will imporve. The rainy season still has almost two months to go.

Johannes - weiss ich nicht. Ich werde ihn fragen.

January 25, 2010 at 2:26 PM
annie said...

Yaacov, I read in Ynet (http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3835884,00.html) that the heavy rains in the Negev are indeed a blessing and will replenish our reservoirs. Such heavy rain wouldn't be much help in the rest of the country, but davka in the Negev that's the kind of rain we need. A short summary in English for your foreign readers, because the link is in Hebrew:

"In the southern Negev we are in a situation of drought for the last 10 years. Last night we had a serious rainfall and now there are floods in all the rivers, big and small. The whole area is soaked with water. This is an excellent situation which will provide us with water for years to come" said Dr. Benny Shalmon, the Ecologist of the Eilat area in the Nature and Parks Authority.

He continues to explain that it is a mistake to think that gentler rainfall over a longer period is preferable. In other areas of Israel that is true, but not in the Negev. A light rainfall would be absorbed in a week or two and won't help the reservoirs. The rushing waters flow with the rivers to drainage reservoirs where they are stored underground. Also the rocky areas absorb the water through the porous rocks and draw the water into underground reservoirs.

January 25, 2010 at 9:26 PM

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