TEL AVIV (Dec. 20)
Two days of rainstorms caused flooding in several areas of Israel and cut Tel Aviv off from the rest of Israel for several hours today after bridges of the nearby Ayolon River were submerged.
The floods forced evacuation of some 60 families from lower areas of Tel Aviv as from two settlements near Ashkelon, Shetulim and Beth Shikma. Nearby slum areas were hit by the flood waters and firemen and police evacuated residents to schools and community centers. The floodwaters subsided around noon and the roads were reopened.
Floods were caused in the Negev by waters from the Hebron Hills. A river which is usually dry in the summer became a raging torrent which severed roads and some Negev settlements, which were reported today to be still cut off. Heavy rain also fell in the Dead Sea area, causing some damage to the Sodom road. Farmers and irrigation workers welcomed the rains.