Did your parents —or grand-parents— have one of these?

[Keelandson]

From the back, that always looked like a smashed car to me.

But in a hydrogen-bomb attack, you could put the top up.

If there was a nudlear war, we would have all died anyway

I'm all for nudlear wars. I'd die happy.

 

[happyagain52]

I did know a couple of families that had underground shelters but not quite as nice as the picture. I remember buying the war stamps at school and having weeks worth of water and food in our basement in case we had to hide there.

 

[cynicus]

I knew people who had shelters, and then they kept guns in them in case anyone tried to break in and share the shelter with them. In school we put up signs that said, "In case of a nuclear attack, stick your head between your legs and kiss your ass goodbye."

 

[roadtripboy]

We did "duck and cover" drills when I was in Kindergarten.
As if hiding under a desk would protect you from a nuclear blast.
And I remember these tall yellow air raid sirens in every neighborhood.

Here's a great site: http://civildefensemuseum.com/

I remember doing these in 3 & 4 grade. I got in trouble because of it. We had just seen a film about happens to different types of building during a nuclear blast.
My school was built from brick on a concrete pad.

I asked what good it would do to hide under my desk if the blast was going to blow the walls away. I was told to stop frightening the other children. They sent a note home to my Mom.

My Mom told me I was right, it was dumb. But to just do the drill next time and not say anything.

 

[BINOWGAYLATER]

We couldn't dig shelters on an island - not very easily -- either hit rock or water -- not very practical -- more of a bunker/swimming pool combo.
But we did do the "hide under the desk drills" -
We had enough stress (now called drama) listening for the TSUNAMI sirenes and heading for higher ground.

 

[T-Rexx]

These were a common sight when I was a kid; there was one in every neighborhood. Once in a while they would do a test of them and they were really loud. They were usually at the top of a yellow pole as tall as a telephone pole. I wonder what happened to all of them.

We still have these all over our neighborhood.

They double as storm sirens.

When I was in college, they would test both the storm siren (a continuous wail) and the nuclear attack siren (an oscillating wail) at noon on the first Wednesday of every month. Nowadays, they only test the storm siren part.

 

[Keelandson]

I also remember they used to test the sirens and even on radio and television there were frequent testings of the Emergency Broadcast System with an annoying tone and test pattern. I don't miss those days.

I forgot about that. We were in an extreme fringe area of a U.S. TV station, and when the whimsical atmospheric gods were generous I could fiddle with the rabbit ears and get something other than yet another boring hockey game or other dreck on a Saturday night.

Once in a while they'd broadcast that test shriek, then annouce "This was a test of the Emergency Broadcast System," and go on about tuning your radio or switching the channel.

I couldn't decide which was worse, dying in ignorance in a nuclear blast or switching the channel back to the hockey game.

 

[unloadonme]

When I was a kid, my grandparents had a brick and concrete air raid shelter left over from WWII in their garden. It had no windows and no power. I thought it was pretty spooky at the time, but in reality all it contained was the lawnmower and piles of old junk.

 

[LilBit]

I forgot about that. We were in an extreme fringe area of a U.S. TV station, and when the whimsical atmospheric gods were generous I could fiddle with the rabbit ears and get something other than yet another boring hockey game or other dreck on a Saturday night.

Once in a while they'd broadcast that test shriek, then annouce "This was a test of the Emergency Broadcast System," and go on about tuning your radio or switching the channel.

I couldn't decide which was worse, dying in ignorance in a nuclear blast or switching the channel back to the hockey game.

Huh. I'd completely forgotten about that. I can't even remember the last time I saw/heard that annoying test.

 

[roadtripboy]

Huh. I'd completely forgotten about that. I can't even remember the last time I saw/heard that annoying test.

It's because they changed it. It's called now EAS emergency alert system. It's doesn't play as a stand alone spot anymore. It's that crawl you'll see once a week over the programming. Starts with 3 short tones, announcer says: "this is a test of the emergency alert system...." then ends with same 3 tones.

Depending on the station it can be more annoying the old system, because it mutes the audio of the programming under it. We always tried to run it during openings and credits where it would be the least annoying. Lots of stations are bury it in their late night programming.

 

[vulgar_newcomer]

These were a common sight when I was a kid; there was one in every neighborhood. Once in a while they would do a test of them and they were really loud. They were usually at the top of a yellow pole as tall as a telephone pole. I wonder what happened to all of them.

Yes these things are still around. Storm use but also they can be found around nuclear power plants and areas surrounding ports or plants that process and receive dangerous toxic matter (haz-mat).

If you're near a Nuke and hear it wail even 20 miles away don't think about Chernobyl unless your moving as quick as possible out of and away from the Nuclear plant.

If you are ever partying in Ybor City -Tampa and hear its drone late at night don't let the door hit you in the ass that means a huge cloud of ammonia gas is belching a few blocks from ya at the port and it will ruin your night if you get caught in it.

So if you see one of these operational sirens on a tower with a generator on it in a parking lot like at a school even though you are not aware of a hazardous air borne danger near-by realize they don't keep up and running for the hell of it, some thing nasty is within your lungs reach and its not a Marlboro

 

[vulgar_newcomer]

It's because they changed it. It's called now EAS emergency alert system. It's doesn't play as a stand alone spot anymore. It's that crawl you'll see once a week over the programming. Starts with 3 short tones, announcer says: "this is a test of the emergency alert system...." then ends with same 3 tones.

Depending on the station it can be more annoying the old system, because it mutes the audio of the programming under it. We always tried to run it during openings and credits where it would be the least annoying. Lots of stations are bury it in their late night programming.

If you are up a lot late at night here these test are run on the cable systems way too much, they seem to pick up during Hurricane season. They last about 2 minutes and the alarm wakes me up every time. I think I hear them about 2 or 3 times a month during Hurricane season now less other months but a couple years ago during call those "code orange" they were very frequent.

 

[SLOPPYSECONDS]

if a planet earth scream it siren every second?

anyway

oh yeah > alls folks world this daily live with

Start screamin!!! but not every second but millions make a noise it do

maybe da Inhuman ears worlds cultures bury might hear even in theres Castles ans palaces they hold so dear ans lot parks got lot of um ans country sides a too