This morning I was sitting, responding to blog comments, when a weird howling sound began. I wondered if it was the wind whistling through cracks, and opened the window to eliminate that possibility. As I did, it was very obvious that there was a city-wide (country-wide? – edited to add, just learned this was northern Israel and an hour later in Jerusalem) warning that was being sounded.
I know that in this situation, you’re supposed to head to the closest bomb shelter, but I wasn’t quite sure what to do – like what to take with me, or how long to stay there. Late yesterday afternoon, I had seen a fighter jet zooming very close overhead right across the street (I’ve never seen those except in pictures), and after the four missiles that were shot at northern Israel from Lebanon last week, I wasn’t sure if this siren was a sign we were entering something serious or not.
I quickly looked outside to see how other people were responding (I have a view to the nearby mall), and no one seemed worried. So I hoped that meant I don’t have to worry (I don’t really rely on other people’s reactions to be a good indicator, but it was something), but even if there was no emergency, it was a good time to find out about where the entrance to our building’s bomb shelter was. We went downstairs and found it locked – we were the only ones in the building who left their apartments – and then went up to find out about getting a key.
Then I learned from the neighbor who has the key to the bomb shelter that it was a practice warning, and that the jets flying overhead the last few days were engaged in practice drills. In the US, there were regularly announcements over the radio “This is a test of the emergency broadcast system. This is only a test.” Followed by a buzzing sound. Much less unnerving than this siren. My neighbor told me her dog was freaking out because she remembers the Second Lebanon War that took place just a few years ago, when a number of missiles were shot from Lebanon into northern Israel, including Karmiel.
When the kids came home, I asked them if they heard it. Dd15 said she always wondered how you’re supposed to get down the bomb shelter in thirty seconds, but the entire school was there by that time, with the exception of one class. The teachers also hadn’t heard about the practice warning siren, and some of the girls were sobbing – they had lived through the recent war as well, and their immediate reaction was terror.
Dd11 said in her schools some girls were crying as well (for the same reason), but ds12 said that someone in the office of his school said something was going to happen at 10:05 in the morning. Since vaccinations were scheduled to be administered today, he thought that’s what they were talking about! (He asked someone who spoke Hebrew what she had said, but they also didn’t understand what she meant – I don’t know if she herself knew what the ‘something’ would be.) But when the siren went off, everyone realized that was the ‘something’ that was going to happen.
Ds4 and ds5 said they didn’t hear anything, which isn’t suprising considering the lively music that is often playing in their classrooms! My first thought when the sirens went off was about my kids in school, and I’m glad none of them were overly frightened.
I was later told that this test of the emergency system can’t be announced too far in advance, out of fear that Arab terrorists will schedule an attack to coincide at that time. It was definitely announced on the radio around 8 am, according to my neighbor, but if you’re not listening to the news on the hour every hour, how would you hear about it?
Edited to add – since posting twenty minutes ago, I’ve learned the following – when it’s a drill, the siren will go up and down. When it’s a real alert, it will be one long blast that doesn’t change. And here’s an article I just read that shows that I wasn’t the only one who wasn’t sure what was going on – http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/150526#.TuEwmbJU43R.)
Hopefully we won’t have to experience this when it’s a real warning, but I would like to be more mentally prepared. I’m going to get a radio, and would welcome suggestions from readers in Israel of where and how to get news from – internet sites, radio stations, or whatever.
Avivah
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