Israel antiquities chief: Caeserea storm damage a 'national disaster'

Haaretz.com: Israel antiquities chief: Caeserea storm damage a 'national disaster'
Authorities are working to clean up Caeserea National Park, which was hit hard during last weekend's strong winter storm.
Israel Antiquities Authority head Shuka Dorfman toured the Caesarea National Park on Wednesday, and called the damage caused to the park during last weekend's strong winter storm a "national disaster."

"The damage is tremendous and dramatic, and with the collapse of the wave breaker, the antique treasures in the Caesarea National Park are exposed to harm from the ocean," he said.

Dorfman called the situation a "national disaster" and added that the storm had damaged beaches all over Israel - from Ashkelon in the south to Acre in the north.

"If the situation isn't remedied quickly with wide preservation efforts, the cliff's erosion will continue until its collapse and with it many of Israel's antique cultural assets," he said.

The Israel Nature and Parks Authority announced that the Caesarea National Park would be reopened to visitors once cleanup efforts were complete.

In addition to the damage the massive storm caused to Israel's beaches, it also uncovered a Roman-era statue in Ashkelon.

The statue, a 1.2-meter high figure of a woman with her head missing, is between 1650 and 1800 years old and is thought to have stood erect in a bath house.