Police, emergency services searching for people, vehicles trapped in southern Israel floods

Israel Police and volunteer rescue units are searching for people and vehicles reported lost or trapped in flooded areas of the Negev and Arava as heavy rainfall has created dangerous conditions on Election Day. Multiple roads in southern Israel and the Dead Sea area, including roads to Eilat, were closed due to flooding and flash flood risk. Rescue teams conducted ground and air searches to locate the missing individuals and vehicles. In Beersheba, parking lots and shopping malls flooded, and several traffic lights stopped functioning. Power outages caused by the weather also disrupted voting in Meitar, causing a polling station to be temporarily closed. A resident of Neot HaKikar told Ynet that many Arava residents are stuck on the road and cannot exercise their right to vote, calling for extended voting hours or road reopening. Near Eilat, 17 millimeters of rainfall fell in just three hours on Tuesday, and Neot Smadar received nearly a quarter of its annual rainfall in one afternoon.

Israel Police and volunteer rescue units are searching for people and vehicles reported lost or trapped in flooded areas of the Negev and Arava as heavy rainfall has created dangerous conditions on Election Day. Rescue teams conducted ground and air searches to locate the missing individuals and vehicles. In Beersheba, parking lots and shopping malls flooded, and several traffic lights stopped functioning. Power outages caused by the weather also disrupted voting in Meitar, causing a polling station to be temporarily closed. Flooding and the risk of flash floods closed multiple roads in southern Israel and the Dead Sea area, including all roads leading to and from Eilat. Police closed Route 90 due to the severe weather. A resident of Neot HaKikar told Ynet that many Arava residents are stuck on the road and cannot exercise their right to vote, calling for extended voting hours or road reopening. Near Eilat, 17 millimeters of rainfall fell in just three hours on Tuesday, and Neot Smadar received nearly a quarter of its annual rainfall in one afternoon.