Palestinian expert expects strong quake   

March 13, 2005

A Palestinian seismology expert said Saturday he expects a destructive earthquake to strike the Palestinian territories and Israel in the future.

The Palestinian News Agency, WAFA, quoted Jalal Dubaik, the director of the seismology center at al-Najah University in the West Bank town of Nablus, as saying that studies indicated the possibility of an earthquake measuring 6.5 to 7.0 degrees to hit the area, especially if the epicenter is in the Lake Tiberius and the Galilee region.

He warned that a tremor of this magnitude would cause massive destruction and loss of life in the towns, villages and Palestinian refugee camps and that some towns would see total or partial destruction.

Dubaik said the destruction would be due to the current domestic construction conditions in the area that would not be able to resist strong earthquakes.

He added that the absence of disaster and emergency management centers and the lack of a national policy on construction contributed to the size of destruction in the event of such tremors.

He also warned that powerful tidal waves in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea could also recur, adding that tsunamis have been recorded in the region's history.

SOURCE: Big News Network