Longing for the Good Old Days...

... When Civil Defense was actually taken seriously.

Bayou City History: 1955 H-Bomb Drill Evacuates Downtown

It was Wednesday, June 15, 1955. The time was 5:15 p.m.

Air raid sirens blared throughout downtown. An "attack" on Houston was imminent.

At that moment, residents were directed to stop what they were doing and leave the area.

As the above headlines indicate, the 30-minute Civil Defense drill -- dubbed "Operation Alert" and conducted in various cities across the nation -- tested Houston's response to a nuclear attack. It wasn't a complete surprise to most Houstonians. Residents back then didn't have to wait for a siren to tell them to leave downtown. . . .

For those who want to bring back those days, I really recommend Utah Shelter Systems' website. Not only does it have information on their "All-Hazard Shelters," but there's also great general information on what to expect in the event of an actual nuclear strike, and what to do (if you have a shelter, that is).