Israeli Aid Delegation Leaves for Japan

 

Despite radiation concerns, medical mission sets out for tsunami-stricken region, along with 80 tons of medical, humanitarian supplies

An Israeli medical aid team consisting of 50 doctors left for Japan on Saturday night, accompanied by representatives of the IDF Home Front Command and the Foreign Ministry. The delegation's two planes also carried 62 tons of medical supplies and 18 tons of humanitarian supplies, which included 10,000 coats, 6,000 blankets, 8,000 gloves and 150 portable toilets.

One of the planes, a Boeing 747, carried the aid supplies that included medical instruments, fuel, oxygen, medication, food, water, hospital beds and other equipment necessary for the establishment of a clinic, while the other plane carried the members of the delegation.

The team was expected to reach Japan on Sunday afternoon, and set up a clinic in the city of Kurihara, which is located in the Miyagi Prefecture, one of the areas that was damaged the most by this month's tsunami. The facility will treat refugees in the region.

A send-off ceremony was held for the delegation at the Nevatim Israeli Air Force Base, which was attended by Japanese Ambassador Haruhisa Takeuchi, members of the Japanese media and Foreign Ministry Deputy Director General for Europe Rafi Barak.

Hagai Shagrir, director of the Foreign Ministry's Northeast Asia Division, told Ynet before boarding the Japan-bound plane: "We are indeed worried about the radiation, and the first condition that we posed was that the activity cannot endanger the health of any Israeli on the delegation. We intend to monitor the air and the water, and get real-time updates. If the situation worsens, we will decide immediately. No one will be put at risk."

Shagrir explained that the clinic will provide basic medical services, including first aid, diagnostics, x-rays, blood tests and referrals for those in need of hospitalization. In addition to physical health services, the medical team will also address emotional trauma of refugees, espcially those who lost family members.

"We expect to work under difficult conditions," he said. "We received reports that the conditions there are very basic, that people sleep on cardboard in bad weather. I imagine the sights will be difficult."

Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke with the head of the delegation, Brigadier-General Shalom Ben-Aryeh, and praised the members of the team.

"You continue to wave Israel’s flag proudly," he said. "This is not the first time an Israeli delegation sets out to provide aid around the world, and it shows a lot about the Israeli society. You are ambassadors of the real Israel, of a people that work for the greater good, and I am sure that you will save many."

Pini Avivi, the Foreign Ministry's deputy director-general for Euro-Asian affairs, said that the "team plans to stay for a period of a fortnight to one month, but will adjust itself according to the needs. If they need to stay longer, so be it."

JERUSALEM TERROR ATTACK - UPDATE

Dozens hurt, woman killed in Jerusalem bombing

Terror in capital: Explosive device detonated at phone booth near Jerusalem bus stop Wednesday afternoon; 60-year-old woman killed in blast, at least 38 people wounded in attack

Terror in capital: A 60-year-old woman was killed and dozens of people were wounded Wednesday afternoon after an explosive device was detonated in a phone booth near the Jerusalem Convention Center.
Medical officials 39 people were hurt in the blast, including three who were seriously hurt. Five other victims were moderately wounded and the rest sustained light injuries. 
Most victims are young, aged 15-30, said Shaare Zedek Medical Center Deputy Director, Ovadia Shemesh. Two of the victims are older, he said.
Police say the explosion was caused by a device placed at a telephone booth near a bus stop. Police officers were searching for additional devices while trying to clear residents from the scene, shouting that it could still be dangerous.
Nonetheless, crowds gathered at the scene and a group of young haredim attacked a British reporter at the site, chanting: "Anti-Semite." Others at the site called for revenge, including Knesset Member Michael Ben-Ari.
Magen David Adom rescue forces declared a mass casualty event and ambulances rushed to the scene after a loud exposion shook the area around 3 pm.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened an emergency consultation session in his office following the attack.
Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch told Ynet that the bomb weighed 1-2 kilos (roughly 2-4 pounds) and included steel pellets added to the device in order to maximize its damage.
"There was no previous intelligence information. The Jerusalem District police are always ready for these types of events, but there was no specific warning," he said.
He added that no intelligence warnings were received before the attack.
Interior Minister Eli Yishai, who visited the scene of the attack, said retaliation was called for.

"The series of incidents from Itamar and until today without a doubt requires us to consider anti-terror operations. It will not be possible to refrain from launching an operation… No concrete decision has been made but we will weigh different options," he said.
Magen David Adom ambulance service director Eli Bin said the victims had been standing at the bus stop or nearby when the device exploded.
 One attack victim, 29-year old Yair Zimerman, arrived at Shaare Zedek Hospital for tests and shared details of the blast with reporters.
"I was on bus route 75. The bus stopped at the station and there was a very loud blast. I told the driver to drive forward a little, because something had exploded. I am an MDA volunteer and immediately called the paramedics and told them," he said.
"I began treating people. There was one who couldn't be treated on the scene and another two in severe condition." Zimerman said.  
"I heard a loud blast. I looked out the window and saw smoke rising up, and a yeshiva student running around with his legs on fire. People were trying to help him put out the fire." he said. "I saw people lying on the ground and then rescue forces started pouring in. They were at the scene within a few minutes, evacuating victims…it was all very scary."

Yonatan Shakiba drove by the scene of the attack as the blast shook the area.

"I left the car and saw a boy running towards me with shrapnel wounds all over his body. He was injured in his arms and legs. He sat down on the ground and then laid down. An ultra-Orthodox woman who was there helped him, and then a guy came over with a tourniquet," he said.

"It was chaos…I looked around and saw many victims and a lot of blood. Rescue forces were all over the area, searching, opening and closing doors. It takes us back to trying times," he said.

The Popular Resistance Committees, a Gaza terror group, lauded the attack and said it came in response to "Israel's crimes."

EMERGENCY ALERT: TERRORIST ATTACK IN JERUSALEM

Explosion rocks capital near Jerusalem Convention Center, MDA declares 20 injured, three of them severely. Explosive device found nearby, police searching for more while trying to keep passers-by away

An explosion occurred near a number 74 bus as it passed before the Jerusalem Convention Center. Magen David Adom rescue forces declared a mass casualty event and ambulances were alerted to the scene.

So far paramedics say there are a number of injured people at the scene, apparently suffering wounds ranging from moderate to severe.

An explosive device was found nearby, and police are searching for additional devices while trying to clear passers-by from the scene, yelling that it could still be dangerous.

The explosion occurred around 3 pm. Preliminary reports said it had taken place on a bus. A Ynet reader wrote a Red Email saying: "A loud blast was heard in the center of Jerusalem. After a minute many sirens could be heard."

MDA says 20 injured people have been evacuated to the hospital, three in serious condition and five suffering moderate injuries. The rest are lightly wounded.

IsraelEMS-Home Front Command - Series 2: Family Emergency Supplies

An essential element of the family emergency plan is preparing the family's emergency supplies

Certain types of emergencies, which set in motion one or more of the following scenarios, might oblige the members of the family to deal with the new situation on their own for a considerable period of time.

What are the possible scenarios?

• Damaged infrastructure: Certain emergencies (such as earthquakes) damage infrastructure. Roads are destroyed, electric and phone wires are downed, and water pipes burst. Rescuers might find their access blocked; certainly, their response will be delayed.
• Mass injury event: Emergencies that injure many people put a strain on emergency response personnel (people trapped under rubble, many wounded and dead), and will force the rescuers to triage. During routine times or even during a local emergency, responding to all needs happens simultaneously. However, when the emergency involves many instances of need, rescuers will first deal with the worst cases. Therefore, response time to each home will be longer than normal.
• Isolation and evacuation: Certain emergencies, or the turns they take, may oblige people to isolate themselves (i.e., stay in an enclosed place such as shelters, secure spaces or rooms, or simply at home), in order to protect themselves against shock waves, or to avoid contact with hazardous materials. Other emergencies might oblige people to evacuate (i.e., leave their homes), as the area itself might pose a threat to life. Evacuation might happen suddenly (as in the case of a spreading fire or an event involving hazardous materials), or after some period of isolation, initiated by external factors or by the family itself. Either way, family members will need certain items, so it is best that these be kept on hand and be assembled together in one place.

What these situations have in common is that security forces, emergency teams and rescue services will find it difficult to reach every area, and certainly every home. Preparing “family emergency supplies” will enable survival for 24 to 72 hrs., until help arrives. The warning span of most emergencies does not allow enough time to pack a designated emergency bag. In other cases, such as the firing of unconventional missiles, warning will be given that will make it possible for people to equip themselves accordingly (acquiring sealing supplies, getting personal protection kits, etc.).

What should the emergency supplies include?

As you get ready to prepare the “family emergency supplies,” make sure to include everything you may wish to take (what is necessary for leaving the home for a few days, or, worse, what to save in case of a fire). First, try to meet basic, essential needs. Try to think about the supplies, their contents and storage, in the context of scenarios in which they will serve you: staying at home during an emergency (including extreme scenarios involving damage to the electric and water supplies to your home), or, alternately, equipment to take outside the home (in the case of an evacuation). The following is a list of recommended items that the Home Front Command has formulated together with various emergency and rescue organizations:

• A booklet of directions and contacts: Together with the supplies, keep a copy of the family emergency plan that details the order of actions to take in various types of emergencies, and contact information for both the immediate family and the extended one (including neighbors, friends, etc.).
• Emergency lighting or a battery-operated flashlight (including spare batteries).
• A first-aid kit (including antibiotic cream, painkillers, disinfectant solution, water purification tablets, bandages, adhesive bandages, a tourniquet, a splint).
• A fire extinguisher.
• A battery-operated radio (including spare batteries).
• A change of clothes for each family member. It is recommended that spare clothing be packed in sealed plastic bags. It is also a good idea to include an extra pair of shoes.
• A supply of water. Store minimally one liter of water per family member. There is no need to buy water; it is fine to use the same drinking water you normally use, as long as you prepare it ahead of time. The water in the bottles should be changed once every three months.
• Medications that family members take on a regular basis, including a copy of regular prescriptions, if possible.
• A whistle (for warning).
• A three-day supply of preserved or dried food. It is highly recommended to keep ready-to-eat food (such as snacks, canned goods) in hermetically sealed packages (aluminum or glass utensils).
• Special supplies for children and infants, or for family members with special needs (an activity kit for the children, a spare hearing aid, etc.).
• Identification papers (if these are in everyday use, you may use photocopies), important documents (inoculation records, health organization membership card, insurance policies), and medical documents. It is highly recommended that you keep these in a sealed document bag that will protect the papers from moisture and other damage.
• Any item that the family deems essential in case of a forced evacuation (e.g., an unusually valued item).
• Spare eyeglasses, if possible.
• Matches and candles.
• A multi-purpose knife.
• Items of personal hygiene.

·         How do I store the supplies? – The Emergency Bag

·         The supplies you have gathered should be stored in the secure space or room in the home. It is highly recommended that you choose a bag and store all the emergency supplies in it, to the extent that its size allows for it. Particularly large or heavy objects (such as the fire extinguisher, the water bottles, the emergency lighting) may be stored next to the bag. At any rate, it is recommended that you do not remove them from the secure space or room. In case it is necessary to store the supplies elsewhere, it is important to let all family members know where they are, and even to mark the bag itself.

·         You may organize the bag by the categories listed above (all food/toys/clothing together), or you may wish to divide the bag into family items versus personal bags (in which case a personal bag should contain the individual supplies of one family member). Either way, it is very important to pack as many items as possible that need to be kept dry in sealed plastic bags (instruction booklet, spare clothing, important documents and copies of identification papers).

·         Do not forget to appoint one of you to be responsible for the ongoing maintenance of the bag (changing the water and checking the food supply once every three months, periodic  testing of the extinguisher once every six months or according to manufacturer’s directions, checking that batteries and cellular devices are in working order once every six months, updating the documents once a year or based on changes etc.).

·         Write down to include the presentation of the emergency supplies as part of the family talk. (If you have already held the talk, invite family members again.) Present the bag to them, tell them where it is stored, and list the items in it. Make sure to verify that all family members know each item, and know how and when to use it.