Vindicator file photo

Vindicator file photo

Civil Defense drills were serious business in Youngstown 55 years ago, during the Cold War. On June 15, 1955, about 200 Youngstown office workers reacted to a three-minute blast from air raid sirens and exited 11 downtown buildings, walking across the Market Street Bridge in a practice evacuation to a dispersal area on Hughes Street. CD officials said they were pleased with the voluntary response to the drill, even though many workers stayed at their desks or took their lunch hour. Radio stations broadcast alerts similar to what would be heard in the event of a real atomic bomb attack.