Off Topic — HabitableZone

Off Topic » in reply to Duck and Cover

I am in my 30's
R.L. — (archived)

I THINK we had a few drills, but they were mostly tornado oriented- It was Oklahoma, after all... mainly I remember being in grade school and suddenly being told we needed to sit behind our desks on the floor as the teacher carefully closed the blinds- Tornado was the reason given... Seemed odd since the sky was clear- Later we found out that some older kid was in a tree with a rifle threatening to shoot people... They didnt want to take us out to the auditorium, for fear of a stray bullet... I only vaguely remember the incident...

Its likely the whole duck and cover program was a short lived exercise, quickly seen for the silliness it was and quietly phased out...

Wikipedia:
Duck and Cover was a method of personal protection against the effects of a nuclear detonation which the United States government taught to generations of United States school children from the late 1940s into the 1980s. This was supposed to protect them in the event of an unexpected nuclear attack which, they were told, could come at any time without warning. Immediately after they saw a flash, they had to stop what they were doing and get on the ground under some cover – such as a table, or at least next to a wall – and assume fetal position, lying face down and covering their heads with their hands.[1]

Critics have said that this training would be of little, if any, help in the event of thermonuclear war, and had little effect other than promoting a state of unease and paranoia.

Today, "Drop, Cover and Hold On" is taught in areas which are prone to earthquakes. Schools in some tornado-prone areas of the United States also practice tornado drills that involve children squatting and covering the backs of their heads.[2],[3]

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