There came a moment when we had to consider evacuating the settlement. This is probably not what I'm talking about. A cyclone had been brewing for days and the weather reports had been getting progressively gloomier. Everyone had various tasks to do and my responsibilities included reading the cyclone reports at the radio station. When the boss came into the office with a very severe expression and a carefully typed statement I knew the worst was being prepared for. So I sat at the microphone, cleared my throat, flicked the switch to broadcast and read the statement. The order to evacuate was being given. Inspection teams would be moving through the streets in one hour to ensure that all residents had moved to the cyclone shelter. The end of the statement struck me as being very dark, very final. 'There shall be no further broadcasts.' I felt as if I was presiding over the end of the world itself. I turned off the transmitter, locked the door and pressed the Big Red Button for the evacuation siren. It was a terrifying noise. Whenever I think of dying I hear that siren.
There came a moment when we had to consider evacuating the settlement. This is probably not what I'm talking about. A cyclone had been brewing for days and the weather reports had been getting progressively gloomier. Everyone had various tasks to do and my responsibilities included reading the cyclone reports at the radio station. When the boss came into the office with a very severe expression and a carefully typed statement I knew the worst was being prepared for. So I sat at the microphone, cleared my throat, flicked the switch to broadcast and read the statement. The order to evacuate was being given. Inspection teams would be moving through the streets in one hour to ensure that all residents had moved to the cyclone shelter. The end of the statement struck me as being very dark, very final. 'There shall be no further broadcasts.' I felt as if I was presiding over the end of the world itself. I turned off the transmitter, locked the door and pressed the Big Red Button for the evacuation siren. It was a terrifying noise. Whenever I think of dying I hear that siren.