(haipo) – Residents and passersby in the Kiryat Eliezer neighborhood in Haifa are warning of serious deficiencies in the shelter located across from the Goodfarm store, next to the home appliance store. According to them, the shelter is unfit for use and could pose a real danger in an emergency. “Even if the shelter is open and the intentions are good, in practice it is unsafe and not in good working order,” they claim.
A city resident, who was present this morning (Monday, 23/6/25) in the Kiryat Eliezer compound when an alarm sounded, was forced to enter a nearby shelter for protection. According to her, it is an unsuitable place to stay: "The shelter is open, but the conditions inside are life-threatening."
"I entered the shelter following an alarm that was activated this morning, and I found real danger there," says Naomi, a resident of the city. "The shelter is flooded with water, wooden pallets have been placed on the floor in an improvised manner, there is no electricity, and the electrical cabinet is open and completely exposed, a danger to life. In addition, the steel door cannot be closed because it is blocked by the pallets. There is no air inside and it is difficult to breathe, there are no fans, there are no basic conditions."
The area in question is populated and includes many businesses, workers, and passersby, which increases the seriousness of the situation. The residents contacted the Haifa Municipality demanding that it inspect the defects and address the hazard, but they said they were told that "the shelter is private and is not the responsibility of the municipality."
It is important to note that this is not a single shelter, but one of many shelters that are not suitable for staying in the city, as already published in the article in Haifa.
Following the appeal, the following difficult questions: Who is responsible for shelters in neighborhoods? What do you do when a citizen is forced to enter a protected space that does not meet the basic conditions? And will anything be done before a disaster occurs?
The Haifa Municipality informed Haifa: "This is a private shelter."
Nissim Salman, chairman of the Tel Piot Market and Kiryat Eliezer Commercial Center, told HaPeh: "As far as I know, two protected rooms are needed in the Kiryat Eliezer neighborhood - and this is being addressed. I am exerting as much pressure as possible to advance the issue. The main problem is that the factories are not keeping up with the pace and demand. The mayor is working on the issue with all his might, and I hope that the treatment will be completed as soon as possible."
Legal provision
By law, the shelter must be maintained even during normal business hours and must be fully prepared for emergencies. Maintenance includes keeping the shelter clean, removing equipment that is not essential for staying in an emergency, and making sure that the entrance doors and escape hatches are working properly. If repairs are required, contact the manufacturer or a certified company that holds a standard for shelter frame items.
It is prohibited to use the shelter as a warehouse. In the event that dual-purpose use is permitted, the equipment may not exceed 20% of the shelter's area or may be evacuated within four hours of receiving instructions from the Home Front Command or the local authority. In addition, it is prohibited to store flammable, toxic, or hazardous materials, and glass or ceramic items that may shatter may not be hung in it. Ensure that the ventilation cover is in place and can be closed when necessary. In addition, the floor of the shelter may only be paved with materials permitted in Standard 507.
I repeat the title:
21 neighborhoods in Haifa without public shelters within a reasonable distance from homes without shelters.
Depending on the size of the population without emergency shelters, Haifa lacks 410 public shelters.
Good night, Savyonna..
There was a municipality here after the Second Lebanon War, so the mayor thought he and the municipality functioned wonderfully, making only one recommendation: establishing a protected municipal police station at a cost of one million shekels. And it was indeed established and inaugurated with great pomp.
True, for 20 years since then, they have known that Hezbollah has tens of thousands of missiles and that Iran has long-range missiles aimed at Israel. So what?
And right at the beginning of 2010, the mayor dropped an urgent debate initiated by the opposition on the subject of fire services, a lack of equipment, and a new fire station that was never built. Guess what happened at the end of 2010? The Carmel disaster.
And after the Carmel disaster came attacks in Gaza that also led to Hezbollah firing into the north and Haifa. You guessed it, the Haifa municipality was not thrilled – 'prepared for anything.'
Scenarios for evacuating neighborhoods in the city? You won't get used to it.
Buffer zones from the lessons of the fire disasters? The municipality did not implement them until this year, when it received a court ruling that could send municipal officials to prison.
And shelters? Oh, you really made the mayor, his deputies, and all her friends laugh. 410 shelters are missing in Haifa. In a really small way. 21 neighborhoods without a public shelter – but we are Switzerland, why do we need public shelters?
And so we got to the war with Kalavi. And the protection failures that everyone knew about simply don't want to be solved. It's much more convenient to transfer the money to additional gifts, attached vehicles, and upgrades to the municipal employees' committee.
,🎯
In my opinion, it is worth contacting the Home Front Command.
A friend of mine spoke to them and they referred him to the shelter owner, claiming that the shelter is on private property. The municipality also claims the same. In short, those who should protect the Tibor Valley are shirking their duty.
Disrespectful.
Disrespectful.
A disgrace. A shelter unfit for human habitation. The municipality disavows itself. The Home Front Command disavows itself. No one knows whose responsibility the shelter is and for whom.
If this is the case and there is no protected space in a place where thousands of people pass through, the Home Front Command will close the commercial center. It is treated the same as the beach and crowded places.