Romanian authorities to test emergency sirens on March 1

Sirens will sound in Romania on Wednesday, March 1, announced the head of the Department for Emergency Situations (DSU), Raed Arafat. The sirens are meant to prepare people in case of a disaster.

"When we talk to people about risks, we don't want them to panic, we want to prepare them, that is the role of communication. I remember a few years ago we didn't dare talk about earthquakes until March 4. Now there is the campaign 'I don't tremble during earthquakes,' launched by the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU),” said the DSU head, cited by Libertatea.

“Our goal is to reach a high level of resilience. This means that an emergency situation should not affect you, should not impact you more than a very short period, and you should be able to return to your normal life, and that you have what you need to cope during the emergency situation," he added.

Arafat mentioned that more information is needed, whether it's about earthquakes or floods. He gave the example of deaths caused by floods in situations in which people were not aware of the risks. The DSU chief also stated that authorities cannot respond to all requests from the population in case of a major emergency.

On the first Wednesday of March, the national alarm sirens will be put into operation. 2,865 sirens are centrally controlled, and 2,595 require local activation.

"The fact that we provide information, and prepare, does not mean that we know something will happen tomorrow. It is our obligation to do this, this is what Civil Protection does, prepares the population," added Arafat.

(Photo source: Octav Ganea | Inquam Photos)