Floods, Eilat earthquake should push Israel’s next government to fix risks it knows - editorial

The weekend's flooding and Wednesday's earthquake near Eilat should give the incoming government something concrete to discuss while it divides up ministries: whether the infrastructure Israelis depend on can withstand the emergencies the state already knows how to prepare for.In Kadima, the Israel Meteorological Service measured 117 mm. of rain in about 80 to 85 minutes. Days later, earthquake alerts sounded around Eilat, and flights at Ramon Airport were temporarily suspended for safety checks.These were different events, requiring different responses. Neither, on its own, establishes that officials failed. The rainfall was exceptional, and checking an airport after an earthquake is precisely what authorities should do. But both bring us back to work that remains unfinished long after the immediate disruption ends.There is enough in the State Comptroller's Reports to understand what that work involves.What the State Comptroller foundIn June, a follow-up audit examined flood preparedness in Ashkelon, Nahariya, and Jisr e-Zarka. It revisited deficiencies identified in 2021. By the end of the follow-up, drainage infrastructure remained unsuited to updated rainfall and flow scenarios, and the authorities lacked multiyear investment plans.The significance is in that chronology. Authorities had already been told what needed attention. Years later, the comptroller was still asking whether it had been addressed.There had been progress on drainage master plans and forecasting.