State Comptroller's Report, Main Points
Jul 22, 2024
“ A picture of a multi-year failure ” [1]. In March 2023, the State Comptroller published a disturbing report about the gaps in the preparedness of significant regions in Israel for an earthquake scenario. The report focused specifically on five municipalities located along the “Syrian-African rift” – Beit Shean, Hatzor HaGalilit, Tiberias, Safed and Kiryat Shmona – but the message it conveys is national in the broadest sense .
In the following short article, we will highlight a number of important aspects of the report and address them together with Dr. Benny Brosh, Director of the Engineering and Regulatory Division at the Rav-Brah Group and Lecturer in Structural Engineering in the Department of Civil Engineering at Ariel University.
“ A picture of a multi-year failure ” [1]. In March 2023, the State Comptroller published a disturbing report about the gaps in the preparedness of significant regions in Israel for an earthquake scenario. The report focused specifically on five municipalities located along the “Syrian-African rift” – Beit Shean, Hatzor HaGalilit, Tiberias, Safed and Kiryat Shmona – but the message it conveys is national in the broadest sense .
In the following short article, we will highlight a number of important aspects of the report and address them together with Dr. Benny Brosh, Director of the Engineering and Regulatory Division at the Rav-Brah Group and Lecturer in Structural Engineering in the Department of Civil Engineering at Ariel University.
There is no implementation of TAMA 38 in the periphery
As expected and as has been stated previously, the current auditor's report also found that there is insufficient implementation of TAMA 38 in the periphery , even though this is, as he put it, "the main plan for implementing the government's policy for strengthening buildings."
The auditor emphasized the main reason for this, which is that TAMA 38 is based on an economic model, and in many peripheral areas where property values are low, there is no economic viability for its advancement. This is a well-known challenge in the field of urban renewal for which quite a few solutions have been outlined in the past, which are unfortunately not being implemented (at least not on a significant scale). Some of them were expressed in previous content that we published on our agency's website, including:
· Transfer of building rights – providing the possibility of transferring building rights from a specific building or complex to other locations, including, if necessary, to other local authorities.
· Awareness – Increasing public awareness of the importance of promoting urban renewal in the periphery.
· Public/governmental activity – taking the task of promoting urban renewal in the periphery into the hands of the state and promoting large-scale evacuation and construction complexes with government funding or government assistance.
· Providing incentives to contractors and entrepreneurs who work in the periphery – Providing incentives to contractors and entrepreneurs who work in the periphery. For example, through tax benefits, state-guaranteed loans, and more.
· Promoting urban renewal on public lands – especially lands located near potential sites for development.
You are invited to expand on this complex topic in an article we recently uploaded to our website – " Strengthening Structures and Urban Renewal: The Special Challenge in the Geographical, Social, and Earthquake-Prone Periphery ."
Dr. Benny Brosh emphasizes in the above matter that while the challenges in the periphery are well-known, it is important to remember that the issue of earthquake preparedness does not depend solely on proximity to the Syrian-African rift.
"Everyone is talking about the periphery and we need to talk about the periphery," he explains. "At the same time, we must not forget that strong earthquakes will affect the entire country. The history of the Land of Israel is intertwined with earthquakes that caused enormous damage even in cities like Jerusalem, Safed and Ramla in the interior of the country. In parallel with finding appropriate solutions for the periphery, we must continue to work in this area throughout the country and, of course, also in the central region where millions of Israelis live."
As expected and as has been stated previously, the current auditor's report also found that there is insufficient implementation of TAMA 38 in the periphery , even though this is, as he put it, "the main plan for implementing the government's policy for strengthening buildings."
The auditor emphasized the main reason for this, which is that TAMA 38 is based on an economic model, and in many peripheral areas where property values are low, there is no economic viability for its advancement. This is a well-known challenge in the field of urban renewal for which quite a few solutions have been outlined in the past, which are unfortunately not being implemented (at least not on a significant scale). Some of them were expressed in previous content that we published on our agency's website, including:
Transfer of building rights – providing the possibility of transferring building rights from a specific building or complex to other locations, including, if necessary, to other local authorities.
Awareness – Increasing public awareness of the importance of promoting urban renewal in the periphery.
Public/governmental activity – taking the task of promoting urban renewal in the periphery into the hands of the state and promoting large-scale evacuation and construction complexes with government funding or government assistance.
Providing incentives to contractors and entrepreneurs who work in the periphery – Providing incentives to contractors and entrepreneurs who work in the periphery. For example, through tax benefits, state-guaranteed loans, and more.
Promoting urban renewal on public lands – especially lands located near potential sites for development.
You are invited to expand on this complex topic in an article we recently uploaded to our website – " Strengthening Structures and Urban Renewal: The Special Challenge in the Geographical, Social, and Earthquake-Prone Periphery ."
Dr. Benny Brosh emphasizes in the above matter that while the challenges in the periphery are well-known, it is important to remember that the issue of earthquake preparedness does not depend solely on proximity to the Syrian-African rift.
"Everyone is talking about the periphery and we need to talk about the periphery," he explains. "At the same time, we must not forget that strong earthquakes will affect the entire country. The history of the Land of Israel is intertwined with earthquakes that caused enormous damage even in cities like Jerusalem, Safed and Ramla in the interior of the country. In parallel with finding appropriate solutions for the periphery, we must continue to work in this area throughout the country and, of course, also in the central region where millions of Israelis live."
The State Comptroller notes in the report that the Ministry of Housing is initiating the strengthening of buildings across the country in various and varied ways. For example, calls for developers to take part in TAMA 38 projects with participation in funding from the ministry, strengthening projects as part of neighborhood rehabilitation (with priority given to buildings with a high proportion of public housing), calls for housing committees to use the ministry to promote earthquake preparedness, charging for projects to renovate apartment buildings in combination with renovation and strengthening, and more.
The auditor's report reveals that performance on the ground is unsatisfactory. Of the approximately 1,200 buildings mapped in the authorities that were examined for the need for reinforcement, only approximately 80 buildings were actually reinforced by the Ministry of Housing. The Ministry of Construction and Housing responded that if the task were left solely to it, and in light of the progress data over the past ten years, it would take more than 80 years to carry out all the reinforcements required in the periphery of the mapped buildings.
The State Comptroller recommended in the report that the issue be given priority, while maintaining an effective dialogue regarding it between the Ministry of Construction and Housing, local authorities, and the Ministry of Finance.
"The State Comptroller refers to the economic issue, and that is very true," says Dr. Brosh. "According to the report, the estimated cost of strengthening the structures mapped in the authorities examined is around 1.35-2.1 billion shekels, but the actual price will be orders of magnitude higher after a high-intensity earthquake."
Very few buildings were reinforced by the Ministry of Housing
The State Comptroller mentions in the document that in 2018 the Home Front Command mapped out approximately 1,200 buildings in need of reinforcement in the inspected authorities, but the documents are gathering dust in a drawer. " Although this information was in the hands of these authorities ," it is written, " no references were found indicating that they are using it to promote the reinforcement of the buildings ."
This is connected to another finding, which is the lack of operational plans for dealing with earthquakes . For the purpose of comparison, the auditor takes as an example the municipality of Vancouver (Canada), which prepared a detailed plan for preparing for an earthquake. Including specific and detailed reference to areas such as firefighting systems, water and sewage systems, regulation of access roads, strengthening bridge systems, emergency transportation routes, and more.
In Israel, in the five authorities that were examined, the situation is completely different. As of the date of the audit, no authority had prepared an operational plan. In addition, no budgetary sources were defined for financing, treating, and strengthening buildings that were identified as requiring strengthening.
"The lack of an operational emergency plan is a very serious matter," emphasizes Dr. Brosh. "If there is no plan, then there will inevitably be no correct conduct at the moment of truth. The immediate meaning is an increase in the number of casualties and deaths and an extension of the duration of suffering and extreme living conditions for a wider population."
Another interesting issue that emerges from the report is that in the five municipalities examined, the buildings of the municipalities themselves were built before 1980 and are not reinforced. Worse still, the report shows that about 70% of the schools have not been reinforced, and in absolute numbers, this amounts to about 40 schools that could collapse in an earthquake on their students and staff.
"A school that is not reinforced for an earthquake is much more dangerous than a school on the conflict line that does not have a shelter," warns Dr. Brosh. In the municipality of Beit Shean, for example, the inspector speaks of 9 out of 10 schools that were not reinforced, and in Safed, 10 out of 12. These are very worrying figures.
It is important to note that there was a government decision made back in 2010 that funding for strengthening schools would come entirely from the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance. In other words, not from the authority's budget . However, the authority is the one responsible for promoting the issue and working to strengthen the educational structures within its jurisdiction.
The State Comptroller recommended that the authorities that were examined step up their game. Among other things, they were advised to submit additional requests to strengthen schools that have not yet been strengthened, to cooperate with the Ministry of Education to obtain the necessary budgets, and of course, to promote the projects in the planning institutions.
"The Ministry of Education is fully budgeting for strengthening activities for educational structures, and local authorities should utilize the budget to improve the preparedness of their residents and increase their safety," the report states.
Authorities do not address the mapping of structures that require reinforcement
In conclusion,
The short article above covers only a small portion of the issues raised in the State Comptroller's report, which in our understanding are among the most significant. A deeper study of the report reveals many more interesting data that must be a "wake-up call" for all those involved in the field of urban renewal in Israel. From the apartment owners themselves, through professional bodies and the state establishment.
On the website of our agency , which provides construction insurance for urban renewal projects with more than 35 years of experience, we continue to follow closely. Including publications and reviews as you have read here.
The short article above covers only a small portion of the issues raised in the State Comptroller's report, which in our understanding are among the most significant. A deeper study of the report reveals many more interesting data that must be a "wake-up call" for all those involved in the field of urban renewal in Israel. From the apartment owners themselves, through professional bodies and the state establishment.
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