Two years to disaster: Fear on the banks of the Ga'aton
Two years after the floods in Nahal Ga'aton claimed lives, nothing seems to have changed: insurance companies refuse to insure nearby business owners, the municipality has not compensated them for previous damages and infrastructure works that are supposed to prevent re-flooding will probably not be able to predict rainfall.
Liat Ron
20/12/2021
Monday, 20 December 2021, 13:09 Updated: 13:31
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Two years after the flood disaster in Nahariya, in which the late Moti Ben Shabbat perished, not only was the danger of flooding in Ga'aton unresolved and the water diversion work was not completed, but it turns out that insurance companies are not willing to insure businesses on the river, and Nahariya Municipality The severe damage has not yet given them the money they deserve.
Heavy rain fell in Nahariya on Saturday. Jackie Amar, owner of the Bordeaux restaurant, which suffered heavy flooding two years ago, decided to close it. "On Saturday, he said in an interview. To Radio North, "We saw that the whole river was on the edge, another moment slipping out. The municipality asked to evacuate the cars and closed the street. We asked them to bring us bags of sand to prevent the water from flooding the restaurant and we closed the business.
"Two years ago we were badly damaged, the furniture was soaked in water and swelled, the floor was destroyed, the appliances went. Five days we were closed and worked around the clock to reopen, until they brought the new equipment and cleaned everything. Alone with the insurance company which also gave us pennies.
"The big problem is that since the flood no insurance company has been willing to insure the businesses here and we have approached them all.
They said they would take care of it - and nothing.
For two years we have not been insured at all.
We have no one to turn to. "
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The Ga'aton River overflows, January 2021 (last winter).
Who will save the business owners (Photo: Courtesy of Zeev Krauthammer)
The works were delayed for a year and a half because there was no approved state budget
It is difficult to blame the insurance companies that are not in a hurry to insure the businesses that are at insurance risk because of the state’s failures.
The Nahariya municipality says that everything that depends on them, regarding the maintenance of the city's old drainage system, was done to completion long before the storm broke out. The work to collect the floodwaters, which is being carried out by the Western Galilee Drainage Authority, has been delayed for more than a year and a half, due to bureaucratic matters and the lack of a state budget.
The completion of the construction of the reservoirs east of Nahariya, in which tens of millions of shekels were invested, should only be completed around April-May, if they do meet the schedules.
The chairman of the Western Galilee Drainage Authority, Yoram Israeli, warns that "if more than 80 mm of water has fallen for 12 hours in a row to Gaaton, there will be water overflowing to shops and nearby streets
.
"
Those who will pay the price for the helplessness of the state, are the business owners who will have to absorb the damage of future floods themselves.
Lior Rosenfeld, former chairman of the Chamber of Insurance Agents' president,
says he does not blame the insurance companies.
Business owners need to be reimbursed to the local authority that is in charge of them and it is the one that should language them.
You can also sue the drainage authority for not carrying out its duties.
It is impossible for anyone to take responsibility. "
Floods in Nahariya in 2015.
A problem of years is not solved due to disputes between the authorities (Photo: Police Spokesman Unit)
The municipality has been active, but the floods are coming from outside the city
The Nahariya municipality responded
: "Due to the topography, the city of Nahariya absorbs the rainwater from a 69-square-meter sign and the Nahariya municipality has to deal with the resulting difficulties, even though it is not its sole responsibility.
The Municipality of Nahariya has worked tirelessly, and has carried out many preparatory actions for the Orif throughout the year in order to reduce the fear of floods, which, as stated, reach the city from areas beyond its control.
"The claims and claims for indemnification are conducted in proceedings in which the question of the state's responsibility for the situation described becomes clear and the municipality is not the only factor in them."
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