Reply #26: I was 8 years old and living in Florida

[iwillalwayswonderwhy]

In addition to the duck and cover drills, we had to bring backpacks and while I can't remember everything that was in them, I do remember a few:

2 quarts of water with a 1/2 tsp of bleach mixed in
Canned food and can opener
Hard candy
Sugar cubes

We could barely lift the backpacks. We had drills where we put on our backpacks and walked to the railroad tracks. We were told that in an emergency, a train would come for us and whisk us to safety.

We got in trouble for eating the candy and the sugar cubes.

I always wondered where this so-called train was supposed to come from and had nightmares about never finding my family if I got on the train.