Toronto, 7:30 AM. Every phone in the room rang at once

I was sleeping. Like everyone else in my place.

7:30 AM. All of our phones collectively went off at the same time, in high alert. I was a bit annoyed and went back to sleep.

I did not know at that point, but a million more phones in the surrounding area were also ringing, sending an official Emergency Alert: Something happened in a nuclear power plant, just 15 km away. The government suggested turning to local media for information, just in case of an escalated situation.

When I heard the news, I was unsure if I was dreaming. It felt somewhat like a scene from a disaster movie. Maybe fun to watch, but not even remotely fun to go through.

It was later confirmed to be a false alarm. I let out a sigh of relief. The worst situation did not happen, but the scary scenario left me a wiser, more prepared person for a dark future if I do happen to find myself in.