That Creepy Emergency Alert…

 

live From Qatar: 

I was just preparing to make my afternoon tea when suddenly my phone started blasting loud alarm sounds!
For a moment I honestly thought it was warning me about a dying battery — but no. When I checked the screen, I saw that it was an emergency alert informing me that a Watan military exercise was taking place in Qatar and that no action was required from the public.

Still, it felt creepy. After the two bombings that happened earlier this year, hearing that siren-type alert again instantly brought back that cold, uneasy feeling. Even if it’s “just a drill,” your nerves react as if something real is happening.

So what can we expect during these national war-games-style exercises?

Possible things the public might notice:

• More emergency alerts on phones testing the notification system

• Visible movement of military and police vehicles in certain areas

• Helicopters or aircraft practicing maneuvers

• Road closures or diversions during specific scenarios

• Sirens or loudspeaker announcements as part of emergency simulations

• Smoke, controlled explosions, or fire-training scenes used for realism

• Increased presence of Civil Defense units around public facilities

• Practice evacuations in selected institutions (schools, malls, or offices)

• Media coverage showing coordinated response teams in action

These drills are meant to test how well the country can respond to crises — but for everyday residents, they can still feel quite unsettling.

Illustration by   Alma  Wad  the human designer (  aka me )   and Canva   AI