Firefighters and rescue teams from the Israel Fire and Rescue Authority’s Jerusalem District were dispatched to the Tikva LaYeled special education school in Jerusalem after reports of significant flooding in the building, Israel Fire and Rescue Authority stated on Monday.
According to the initial report, students with physical disabilities required assistance and evacuation from inundated areas. The authority added that crews are operating across the district due to storm conditions that caused numerous floods and fallen trees.
Fire and Rescue teams from the Ha’Uma station were sent to the school shortly after the alert, the district said. Responders were preparing to move pupils and staff to dry, secure areas and to pump water from the affected rooms, prioritizing accessibility needs, according to spokesman Netanel Damari.
In a separate incident, crews worked to free a person trapped in a vehicle that sank into deep standing water after flood levels reached the car’s windows, the authority said. Additional teams were deployed to multiple flood scenes and to clear fallen trees posing risks to pedestrians and motorists.
Firefighters urged the public not to enter flooded roadways on foot or by car, not to approach fast-flowing streams or unknown-depth pools, and to avoid underground parking areas during heavy rain. Residents were advised to watch for collapsing trees or downed power lines and to call the emergency hotline at 102 in any dangerous situation.
Emergency services said crews are spread across key locations to protect life and property as the winter system continues over Jerusalem and surrounding areas. The appeal follows weeks of weather-related rescues nationwide, with authorities reiterating that attempting to drive through floodwaters is life-threatening.
In Tel Aviv, balcony collapse injures man
A balcony reportedly collapsed on Herzl Street in Tel Aviv, seriously injuring a pedestrian in his 70s, according to Magen David Adom.
Paramedics provided initial treatment at the scene and evacuated the man to Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Ichilov. Israel Police said officers cordoned off the area and opened an investigation with municipal officials into the cause.
Police said they were working with city engineers to assess structural safety and to determine whether the storm contributed to the collapse. No additional injuries were reported at the scene.
In a separate weather-related incident in Herzliya, a tree fell onto a moving vehicle on Haatzmaut Street. Senior MDA EMT Nir Kaisar said the driver was able to exit the car and was not injured, requiring no evacuation.
The driver, identified as Micha, told Walla that he saw the tree starting to fall but had no room to maneuver. “Within seconds, the tree fell and took off the roof while I was inside. I found myself trapped until someone arrived and freed me. I got out by a miracle,” he said.