waiting for the robots

Living in a tsunami zone requires a monthly test of our town's tsunami warning sirens (which won't work for the dreaded Cascadia one). The last Friday of the month the sirens go off at 11 am - followed by the all clear chime. I've heard it a million times and although a little un-nearving, no big deal.
Yesterday's sirens were a different story though. I live on a busy street so I hear cars passing by all day long.... the next street over is the hospital, so there's ambulance sirens all time.... and the birds are so loud here, it's crazy (but I like that). So anyway..... it's usually loud in the day - except for yesterday. When the tsunami siren test went off everything was so quiet and it seemed like it bellowed like never before. The sound was just extra creepy and I felt like we would see those robot alien things from War of the Worlds come walking down the street - looking for us. I was totally freaked out.