Homefront Command : What To Do in a Rocket Attack

By: Malkah Fleisher

Published: November 19th, 2012

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Israel’s Homefront Command has revised its instructions to citizens living within rocket fire of Gaza, and publicized a video with English translation to broadcast important directives.

For those within 40 kilometers of Gaza:

If you hear the sound of air raid sirens, enter into a protected area immediately.
School has been cancelled
Do not convene or congregate in groups
If your workplace does not have a bomb shelter, do not go to work.
Shopping centers are to be closed

Israeli news website Walla published an image illustrating the amount of time residents of various parts of the country have to find shelter in the event of a siren.

According to the image, residents of Sderot have just 15 seconds to find shelter, residents of Ashkelon have 30 seconds, residents of Ashdod have 45 seconds, residents of Be’er Sheva have 60 seconds, resident of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and southern Samaria have a minute and a half, and residents of Netanya and Herzliya have 2 minutes. If missiles are fired from Israel’s north, either from Hizbullah in Lebanon or Al-Qaida from Syria, residents of Tiberias, Haifa, and Gadera have 60 seconds to find cover, residents of Carmiel and Tzfat have 30 seconds, and residents of Nahriya and the Golan should find cover immediately. If at the time of a siren or emergency warning, you are found in:

A building:

Go into a bomb shelter or safe room (if one is not available in your building, enter the innermost room of your house), closing the doors and windows. Those living in the top floor of apartment buildings should quickly exit their apartments and enter the stairwell, descending to the middle floor of the building.

Outside:

Enter the nearest building immediately. If there are no buildings close by, or you are in an open area, lie down on the ground and cover your head with your hands.

In the car:

Stop on the side of the road, exit the car, and enter a building or protected area immediately. If there is no building, or you are in an open area, exit the car and lie down on the ground, covering your head with your hands. If you cannot exit the vehicle, top on the side of the road and wait 10 minutes before continuing on your journey.

If no other instructions are given, you may leave the secure area after 10 minutes.

Homefront Command also issued specific instructions for workers in a variety of situations and job types, including government and essential workers.

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About the Author: Malkah Fleisher is a graduate of Cardozo Law School in New York City. She is an editor/staff writer at JewishPress.com and co-hosts a weekly Israeli FM radio show. Malkah lives with her husband and two children on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem.