1. ISRAEL’S 2010 WILDFIRE REVEALS LACK OF PREPARATION, WHILE HIGHLIGHTING BENEFITS OF INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION DECEMBER 1-8, 2010 Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction, University of North Carolina, USA

2. THE WILDFIRE NEAR HAIFA, THE 3 RD LARGEST CITY

3. Israel’s summer of 2010 had been one of the hottest and driest on record, creating conditions that are favorable for wildfires.

4. The cause: A 14-year-old-boy says he had been smoking, using a hookah pipe, in a forest, and the fire got out of control within munutes..

5. ISRAEL’S WORST WILDFIRE IN HISTORY FINDS ISRAEL UNPREPARED The emergency showed that Israel had neglected to invest in the equipment and personnel needed to effectively combat wildfires that have become pervasive in recent years amid unseasonably high temperatures and periods of drought

6. FIREFIGHTERS ON THE GROUND

7. AN INTENSE FIRE EXACERBATED BY WIND AND DRYNESS

8. FIREFIGHTERS ON THE GROUND

9. The flames, fanned by high winds, were like a giant wave at sea, traveling at times with leaps of 500 meters.

10. After only two days, the fire killed 42 people and consumed more than 7,000 acres, destroying a large part of the Carmel Forest, one of Israel's natural crown jewels and a popular tourist and vacation destination that is known as “Little Switzerland” because of its beauty..

11. The fire, exacerbated by high winds, was too demanding for Israel’s 1,500 firefighters to contain, so Israel issued a rare call for HELP.

12. Thirteen nations of the international community responded immediately with material assets and pledges of help

13. Britain, Greece, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Russia, Jordan, Turkey and USA sent help.

14. PLANES FROM FOUR COUNTRIES FIGHTING THE FIRE

15. USA SENT A BOEING 747 TO FIGHT THE FIRE

16. A GREEK FIREFIGHTING PLANE

17. A PLANE FROM TURKEY

18. December 6: Although the fire still has many hot spots located in hard to reach areas, the fire is expected to be under control within about 2 days.