A La Suisse – simply ignore and carry on……
Tomorrow, February 6, at 13.30 (the first Wednesday of February every year) Switzerland carries out the annual testing of its nationwide siren system of which there are 7200 stationary and mobile sirens around the country. These are to be used for any national emergency – natural (such as flooding), accidental (radiation leak) or terrorist attack; and have been in place since the Second World War .
Although the testing of the sirens is widely publicized on television and radio prior to the day it can still be a bit of a shock to those of us who might be new to the country.
If you hear the alarm and it’s NOT the first Wednesday in February listen to the radio, follow instructions and inform your neighbors – although when you have heard the siren it is unlikely that anyone might not be aware……
This year’s alarm test will also include a notification via the free Alertswiss app for the first time. This App which was released last Autumn sends notifications of terrorist attacks, explosions and floods. There is also an alertswiss website which contains current warnings – check it out.
We are a group of international women living in Geneva, Switzerland. If you would like to learn more about our activities and excursions, visit our website at http://www.aiwcgeneva.org/
Living In Geneva 