Stormy weather wallops Israel
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Wintry weather has arrived very late in Israel, but is making up for the delay in a big way over the weekend.
From heavy snowstorms along the Lebanese border, through stalled cars in flooded Haifa streets, to blasting waves damaging businesses along the Tel Aviv beachfront, to 100 kph winds and heavy sandstorms blanketing the south, Israelis are blessing the sudden rains and cursing the damage.
The 11-member crew of a Moldavian freighter are safe after their craft capsized and sunk off the Israeli coast early in the day, about 10 miles (16 km) from its destination, Ashdod port.
Two Israeli Air Force helicopters and Navy vessels were dispatched to the scene after a mayday call from the craft, called the Adriatic, according to Shipping and Ports Authority officials.
The rescue craft and helicopters, however, reported problems in aiding the craft due to squalls and 8 to 10 meters (26 to 32 feet) waves, reported the Ynet news site.
Several of the crew members reportedly jumped overboard as the ship was sinking, but all were rescued by a passing ship.
"The Moldovan ship sank ... the crew got off on life rafts," a Shipping and Ports Authority official told Israel Radio, adding " All of the crew members are 'alive and well,' the official said.
The freighter was carrying more than 3,000 tons of iron.
Later in the day, tugboats pulled a beached Turkish freighter to safety after its engines failed. The craft has reached safe port in Ashdod, officials said.
Northern Israel's Haifa port was closed to shipping traffic, and many freighters dropped anchor further out to sea, according to Israel Army Radio.
Ben-Gurion International Airport is directing some flights to other airports, due to the winds and reduced visibility. Officials said the airport has activated its "poor vision procedure," which is causing flight delays.
An incoming Lufthansa flight from Munich and a British Airways plane from London were waved off to Cyprus, and a domestic Eilat- Tel Aviv flight was turned back due to wind and poor visibility, reported Ynet.
Israel's Environmental Protection Ministry issued an air pollution warning due to the heavy sandstorms with ten times the average in Beersheba, eight times the average in Jerusalem and four times the average in Tel Aviv.
Tel Aviv and Caesaria's port areas were slammed by upwards of ten-meter waves that knocked down walls, and burst through plate glass windows, flooding shops and businesses.
"I have lived on the ocean for 27 years, and what is happening right now is just crazy," a resident of the marina in Tel Aviv told local daily Ha'aretz.
Tel Aviv's municipality warned residents to keep away from the beachfront and said it would not be able to provide lifeguards for surfers braving the monster waves.
The Magen David Adom rescue services and the Interior Ministry on Sunday said they were setting up a joint hotline for the elderly and infirm who were suffering from the cold.
There were reports of pedestrians being blown off their feet in Tel Aviv, and children sustaining severe injuries from slamming doors from the high winds.
Some 22 trees and traffic lights in Tel Aviv, power lines, signs and pretty much anything else not nailed down elsewhere were knocked down and blown away by wind gusts that reached upwards of 100 kph in some area.
Downed power lines cut electricity to thousands of residents in many cities, said the Israel Electric Company, but officials said crews were trying to keep essential services running, with generators in some locations.
Israel Railways limited train service to some communities due to fallen trees. Thousands of Tel Aviv commuters were forced to transfer over to buses due to delays and route changes.
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