I'd been in Amsterdam for a few months
when a friend of mine from the UK came over to visit. On one of our
excursions we went to Artis Zoo to spend the day looking at animals
in (in my opinion) rather small habitats. It was lunch time & as
we decided to head to the restaurant our relaxed discussion was
abruptly curtailed by the blaring of an air-raid siren. What was
going on? Had a lion escaped? Were we about to be savaged by
rampaging meerkats? Staff walking about us seem nonplussed &
after about a minute the wailing ceased. Having satisfied ourselves
that we weren't about to become of the lunch of one of the exhibits
we went off to find our own, still not entirely sure what had just
happened.
Video of an unearthly wail - the siren is that triple spaceship thingy at the top
It's a bit sad to admit that I'd been
living in the country for just over four months & that was the
first time I'd heard the warning siren... a siren which gets tested
the first Monday of every month at lunch time. Maybe the previous
months the sound of the TV, or my chewing, had drowned it out.
 |
| Warning siren |
The sirens have been sounding regularly
since their test re-introduction in 2003(1)
& are there to warn citizens of a multitude of ills(2)
including
terrorist
attack,
nuclear
disaster
or
an
epidemic
(all
very
cheery
stuff).
On
hearing
the
alarm
(on
a
non-test
day)
the
city
inhabitants
need
to
return
to
their
homes
&
turn
the
TV/radio
on
for
further
details (presumably before they die).
Quite
what is supposed to happen if disaster should strike at 12pm on the
first Monday of the month currently alludes me.
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