You know how at 1 pm every first Wednesday of the month the tornado sirens are tested across the US?
Well, this past Wednesday (the first Wednesday of February, mind you), I was sitting in a meeting with my boss, when all of the sudden we heard what sounded like tornado sirens. They went off for quite some time. Since Switzerland does not have a tornado problem, we were a little flummoxed as to about what we were being warned.
Well, thanks to Ron Orp's newsletter, I have discovered that these are, in fact, war sirens. They are tested at 2 pm on the first Wednesday of February every year, and the purpose of these sirens is basically in case of war or other emergency.
One thing that is the same between war sirens and tornado sirens is that, upon hearing sirens, you are supposed to seek shelter in a cellar. Not quite sure what good that would do in case of war, but I guess at least it's something to do.
Also, why Wednesday? Is Wednesday the day of the week on which an act of war or act of God (tornado) is least likely to occur and get the test mixed up with the real thing?
