Earthquake (archive)
Earthquake (archive)Flash 90

The series of six light earthquakes felt in Israel's Galilee in the past week are not a "promo" for a an approaching large quake, said Dr. Efraim Laor, who was the chairman of the Inter-ministerial Committee on Dealing with Earthquakes.

Laor told Arutz Sheva that the chance of a meaningful earthquake has not changed after the series of quakes, which were centered in the Sea of Galilee.

And yet, said Laor, every citizen should make personal preparations for the possibility of a strong earthquake. "Everyone should be in a state of readiness, at his own level," he added. "There is no all-clear siren and the more we know, the more we know that we do not know."

Besides practicing earthquake drills at schools, he explained, people should hold rehearsals in their own homes. These include setting routes of escape and preparing food and water for more than 2-3 days.

"Don't expect emergency forces to come," he said. "Whoever is at the epicenter of the quake will have to get by for a period longer than 3 days. Don't call anyone. The people you need will not answer anyway, and there is no point in calling people just to gossip."

He added that Magen David Adom stations and fire brigades are not any better protected against quakes than regular homes. Therefore, "The stronger and more destructive the quake is, the less the citizens will see of the emergency response teams from the Home Front Command and the municipalities. People must rely on themselves."

Laor stressed that people who do not make preparations for a large quake will not survive one, if it happens.