Every day, dozens of people arrive at branches of Yad Sarah, looking for crutches, slings and other medical equipment, after being injured rushing to bomb shelters amid the ongoing missile salvos from Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon. It is a pattern we have seen far too much of—not just during the current intense conflict, but since the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
For nearly two-and-a-half years, virtually every part of Israel at one time or another has experienced sirens due to rockets, drones and missiles. It is difficult and stressful for everyone, but the elderly and those with disabilities face even more challenges.
The number of injuries from tripping, falls, stumbling down stairs and other minor accidents on the way to take shelter far surpasses those from missiles themselves. Some of these injuries can be prevented. As we help those who have been hurt and those who have been evacuated due to damages to their homes, we are also working around the clock to help prevent future injuries.
Even simple steps can cut down on the number of related injuries, including anxiety attacks.
Plan your route, including how long it will take. As parts of the country and economy reopen, and more people are going out for errands or to see friends and family, it’s important to be aware of the closest shelter, both while traveling or once you arrive at a store or someone else’s home. Most municipalities offer online maps marking public shelters, and apps like Google maps and Waze also include some of them.
Practice at a steady pace and calm breathing. This helps provide peace of mind and also alerts you to any challenges or areas that require extra caution, such as stairs. Heed the early warnings and begin moving to the shelter right away, instead of waiting for the actual siren to go off. Having the extra time and space is the difference between rushing and possibly getting injured, and arriving safely.
Identify safe resting points. A practice journey to the shelter, including how long it may take, helps you find walls, doorways or even chairs along the route where you can rest, if there is extra time.
Improve shelter accessibility. Yad Sarah can help anyone in Israel add handrails, lighting or other aspects to make the path to the shelter safer. For those evacuated from their homes, Yad Sarah can also help provide walkers, wheelchairs and other equipment needed for stays in hotels or with relatives and friends.
Prepare a shelter kit. Keep essentials, including medications, identity cards, flashlight, phone, phone charger, snacks and a small bottle of water in a backpack or bag to take with you to the shelter. If the shelter is a room in your home, keep those essentials there.
According to recent data from the Knesset Research and Information Center, 67% of all elderly and disabled residents do not have a shelter in their home. Improving shelter access should remain an urgent national priority. However, the committee set up to work on this cause has only met once since the June war, according to media reports.
Private safe rooms within homes or apartments are the ideal type of space because they allow people to sleep there and not have to get up to reach a safe area. But 56% of homes or apartments in the country do not have such a room, which have only been required by building codes since the 1990s.
Some older buildings have shared shelters, which often require going downstairs. Lacking those, people must use public shelters, which means they must leave their homes and go down the block or across the street to reach them. While these often contain chairs, restrooms, kitchens and other facilities, they can be crowded and not convenient to reach, especially during the night.
This was illustrated all too clearly on the first night of the current war. One of the first fatalities was a caregiver in Tel Aviv, who didn’t make it to a public shelter in time as she stayed with her client in an apartment building that was hit by a ballistic missile. The client was rescued from the rubble, but suffered injuries. This situation shows how accessible shelters can mean the difference between life and death.
There is no question that more shelters are needed, and more buildings need to be upgraded through the frameworks that allow the addition of safe rooms. Accessibility for the elderly and those with disabilities also needs to be taken seriously. For now, Yad Sarah is helping fill these gaps, and is calling on the public and the government to do their part to make sure that everyone in need can get to safe places safely.
We should always love our neighbors as ourselves, but especially at a time like this, helping those around us in need can make an enormous difference—sometimes, even a life-saving one.
