Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Describe What They Would Do If Nuclear Attack Sirens Went Off In The Middle Of The Night

People Describe What They Would Do If Nuclear Attack Sirens Went Off In The Middle Of The Night
Maxwell Nelson on Unsplash

Imagine being woken up in the middle of the night to a distress call?

The alarm signaling imminent danger is a terrifying reality for many civilians, particularly in the current situation in Ukraine where air raid sirens were heard blaring after Russian military forces invaded the country.
Even routine alarms can be startling, as people may wonder whether or not it's just a drill "this time."
Remember Hawaii's false missile alert in 2018?
Locals were absolutely terrified, and for good reason, as there was pandaemonium with civilians scrambling to seek safety or bracing themselves for the worst-case scenario.

For those of us who have never been in these situations, Redditor TheBestMoronEver wondered:

"If you heard nuclear sirens go off in the middle of the night how would you react?"

These Redditors had a casual response.

Nonplussed

"Probably curse about the damned tornado sirens going off again, and rolling over to go back to sleep."

– KaliCalamity

White Noise

"My area sets off the sirens if we have a severe thunderstorm warning, so nobody really pays much attention to them any more."

– notthesedays

Please Identify

"Since I don't know what a nuclear siren sounds like I would probably say, 'What is that?'"

– BlueRFR3100

Here are some unexpected responses.

Healed

"Well I'm deaf, so first I'd say 'Holy sh't, I got my hearing back!'"

– OH_NO_HE_DINT

All About Location

"Given that I'm pretty close to the North Korean border, I'd say I'd guess they were attacking."

– somek_pamak

A Grave Possibility

"I'm pretty close to Russian border (in Finland) so I'd assume it's Putin paying a visit."

– vilefairyx

Laughing Matter

"Jokes on them, the lead paint and asbestos in my apartment will protect me."

"Jokes on me, that will mean I need to go to work right away. :("

– pm-me-racecars

Some people found it easier to accept their fate.

Rest Easy

"Might as well try to enjoy some more sleep for the last moments of my life."

– schmidty33333

Taking The Hit

"Probably die like most people because I have no where to go that could withstand a nuclear blast."

– gameofthrones_addict

Final Viewing

"Might as well go outside and watch."

– BoomZhakaLaka

If Case You Are Out Of The Radius

"You have a better chance of survival if you are indoors. Basement with concrete ideally. All windows and doors shut. The point is to avoid having the fallout settle on your skin. Once inside you stay in for 24-48 hours."

"This, of course, does not apply if you are within the blast radius. In that case it doesn’t matter too much."

– ex_ter_min_ate_

Hawaiians shared their recollections of the false alarm.

"This kind of happened to me in Hawaii a few years ago. I got an ‘incoming nuclear missile, this is not a test’ alert on my phone. My family and I just stood around in shock for a couple minutes, then we went to the underground parking garage and just… waited. Nobody knew what the hell to do. After about 15 minutes it started to become clear that it was a mistake. What a rollercoaster ride that was, holy sh*t…"

– dick-nipples

Harrowing 20 Minutes

"Ooh I was in Hawaii too when this happened!! Was 7 months pregnant with my now 4 year old. Went down to the restaurant to get some breakfast at our hotel and didn’t bring our phones. All of a sudden, we hear the mass text warnings from everyone’s phone going off. Everyone started running and kids started crying. Didn’t know what was going on until we asked someone with a phone and they showed us the alert. We were in shock and kind of just checked out. Went down to the beach because we thought that if missiles were to hit, buildings would collapse and we’d be stuck (lol idk what we were thinking at the time) and what better place to die than at the beach with your lifetime partner and unborn baby. There were barely any people out there except for a few homeless. Found a nice older couple who had the same idea as us and asked if we could use their phone to say our goodbyes to our family. Only knew my brother’s number by heart since my parents recently changed their numbers. All this happened in a span of 20 min I think. Then finally found a police officer that started telling people it was a false alarm. Was so scared I was gonna give birth from all the stress lol."

– GoldenStateMommy

Advice From A Survivor

"There was a Japanese woman who survived either Hiroshima or Nagasaki living on Hawaii when the alert went out. She read it, decided she would rather die than live through a another nuclear blast, and went back to bed."

"So, from a nuclear blast survivor the recommended advice seems to be to die quickly rather than suffer."

– DoomGoober

One Last Drink

"Pour a nice glass of scotch and enjoy the last few minutes of my life."

– thesupplyguy1

It appears once anyone hears a nuclear siren go off, there aren't a lot of options to escape the blast.

And based on what the survivor of the nuclear attacks on Japan said, living through the aftermath sounds like a fate worse than death.

Want to "know" more?

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Robert Irwin and Witney Carson
JC Olivera/Variety/Getty Images

'Dancing With The Stars' Pro Reveals The Hilariously 'Stressful' Part Of Being Robert Irwin's Partner—And Yikes

Anyone who enjoys watching Dancing with the Stars knows that some star-dance pro couples are more functional than others.

Robert Irwin and dance pro Witney Carson have been so convincing up on stage, they've left some people wondering if they are dating, despite Carson being married.

Keep ReadingShow less
TikToker films Stan Lee’s return as an AI hologram at L.A. Comic Con.
@melmadog/TikTok

Stan Lee AI Hologram Unsettles Fans

In 2016, Stan Lee told the Hollywood Reporter that “Los Angeles is, to me, the center of the world’s entertainment. It has to have a Comic Con.”

This year’s convention, held Sept. 26–28, delivered on that vision in a way no one exactly put on their wish list—by resurrecting the late Marvel legend as an AI-powered hologram. That’s right: between the swag, panels, and trailer drops, fans were invited to “meet” Lee, who passed away in 2018 at age 95, via a digital stand-in programmed to chat like the real thing.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ne-Yo shoved a stage-crashing fan during a Japan concert.
@CelebRapInsider/Twitter

Ne-Yo Attacked by Fan

Ne-Yo is “So Sick” of anyone disrespecting his stage.

During a performance in Kobe, Japan, on Saturday, Sept. 27, the R&B superstar shoved a fan off stage after they tried to get "Closer” mid-performance at the Glion Arena.

Keep ReadingShow less
Tom Holland and Zendaya
James Devaney/GC Images

Tom Holland Swiftly Corrects Reporter Who Called Zendaya His 'Girlfriend'—And Fans Are Obsessed

Some love is quiet and unassuming, known mostly to those in love and few else.

Actors Tom Holland and Zendaya have been largely quiet about their engagement, but when the Spider-Man actor appeared recently at a press event, he was more forthcoming about his relationship status.

Keep ReadingShow less
Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel on each other's shows
@jimmykimmel/Threads

Jimmy Kimmel And Stephen Colbert Unload On Trump In Rare Crossover Event As Guests On Each Other's Shows

Late-night hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert were each other's guests in a special crossover event on Tuesday and took the opportunity to call out "son of a b*tch" President Donald Trump, who has used his influence in attempts to silence them for criticizing him and his MAGA movement on the air.

Last week, ABC announced it would end its suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! just a week after Trump pushed to get host Jimmy Kimmel off the air following comments Kimmel made about the assassination of far-right activist Charlie Kirk. ABC had had internal discussions with Disney, which saw a wave of subscriber cancellations in the wake of Kimmel's suspension.

Keep ReadingShow less