A 50-year-old woman was killed on Tuesday after she was struck by a heavy object in a home that flooded in Jerusalem. She wasbrought to the Shuafat Checkpoint in critical condition and evacuated to Shaare Zedek Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.
Magen David Adom paramedics Ran Ables and Ariel Rabi reported: "A woman in her 50s was brought to us unconscious, without a pulse and not breathing, and suffering from injuries to her body. We were told that she apparently had been hit by a heavy object in a flooded house. We immediately began resuscitation and evacuated her in an intensive care ambulance to the hospital while continuing CPR."
Near Modiin, two individuals were rescued from the roof of a vehicle after the Anabe Stream overflowed. Firefighters rushed to the scene and rescued them using ropes to prevent them from being taken adrift.
In Kiryat Malachi, firefighters rescued five individuals from a van that got caught in a flood on Peker Street.
Firefighters from the Beit Shemesh station were deployed to rescue two individuals whose vehicle became trapped in flooding in Abu Ghosh. The fire crews were called after the driver reported that the water had reached window level and they were unable to get out. After the rescue, the woman lost consciousness and was evacuated to a hospital.
Route 1 eastbound was closed this morning at the Zeitim Interchange tunnel, east of Jerusalem, due to flooding. Route 90 was closed to vehicle traffic from the Ein Gedi junction to the Dead Sea hotels because of flooding and serious concerns for road user safety. Additional closures were imposed at Nahal Dargot and Nahal Tze’elim. Route 463, between the Post Office Junction in western Binyamin and the community of Na’aleh, was also closed to traffic in both directions due to flooding.
The winter storm system that began overnight is expected to reach its peak on Tuesday, accompanied by heavy rain and wind gusts of up to 100 kph (62 mph).
The strongest gusts so far recorded were in Ashkelon at 103 kph (63 mph). Tel Aviv saw gusts of 92 kph (57 mph), Hadera and Ashdod 86 kph (53.5 mph), Haifa 76 kph (47 mph), and Jerusalem 49 kph (30.5).
In Rishon Lezion, the 69 kph (43 mph) winds caused the wall of the historic winery to collapse on parked cars. No one was injured, but severe damage was caused.
Rishon Lezion Mayor Raz Kinstlich stated, "Luckily, there was no tragedy. I am happy that residents are disciplined and are not walking around outside. You can't define this incident as anything else but a miracle.
In another incident in the city, a 70-year-old woman suffered a minor head injury when a fallen branch struck her on Hagalim Street. A Magen David Adom ambulance crew tended to her and evacuated her to Assaf Harofeh Medical Center.
EMTs Yosef Asoulin and Edan Ben Rosh reported: "The woman said that while walking in the park, she was struck by a large branch that fell and hit her head. We provided medical care and took her in an MDA intensive care ambulance to the hospital with minor injuries."
In a separate incident, a 47-year-old woman was struck by an object that was blown by the wind near the Glilot commercial complex in Tel Aviv. MDA EMTs and paramedics tended to her and took her to Tel Hashomer Medical Center.
Later, a report was received about a man who was struck by a fallen tree in Ramat Gan. MDA crews brought him to Tel Hashomer with minor injuries.
Additional fallen trees were reported in Nehariya, Acre, Or Akiva, Pardes Hanna, Or Yehuda, Petah Tikva, Tel Aviv, and Ramat Gan, without injuries.
The weather on Tuesday is expected to be stormy, and rain will fall across the country. Snowfall is expected in the northern Golan Heights. Flooding is expected in the Judean Desert and Dead Sea area, and isolated flooding in the mountains and coastal plain. During the evening hours, the rain and wind will gradually weaken.
On Wednesday and Thursday, there is a chance of isolated showers, mostly light, in central Israel and northern Negev. Temperatures will rise slightly.