On October 21-25, 2012, Israel held its first national exercise to examine how prepared the state and its institutions are for a severe earthquake. This was the country's sixth home front exercise, held annually as part of the lessons learned from the Second Lebanon War. The annual exercise is also the climax of a series of smaller exercises held throughout the year. Until now, the annual exercises were based on security scenarios, primarily missile and rocket attacks on the civilian front. The decision to devote this year’s scenario to an earthquake is notable, as it implies (a) recognition of the importance of preparing for natural disasters whose damage to life and property are expected to be much higher than those inflicted by war, terrorism, and other man-made conflicts; and (b) the adequate understanding that preparing for an emergency is essentially generic in nature, as many of its components are shared by man-made and natural disasters. Thus, preparedness for natural disasters in general and earthquakes in particular has a direct impact on the preparedness for the more familiar security scenarios.
