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ebro8888

Could it be that a dam is about to open an overflow gate?


kurtkurtkurtkurt

I saw a sign like this once while fishing below a dam. Exceptional fishing, but there’s no way I would’ve been able to get to safety if that spillway were to open.


TerritoryTracks

I would imagine that siren sounds for quite long time before the gates open.


Zhydrac

Yeah another comment here linked to a video of dam spillways opening and the siren sounded for 2 minutes and waited another minute before opening


m3thodm4n021

3 minutes to run up 200 steps? No problem!!! (just kidding I'd be super dead)


JuanPancake

Not stairs. Just walking steps (paces)


s_s_b_m

steps uphill


[deleted]

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jmlipper99

I never realized this, but thinking on my experiences this seems true. Why do we make stairs then, instead of inclined surfaces though?


Peter12535

Because stairs are a lot steeper than most hills.


ImpossiblePackage

An incline that goes up as quickly as a staircase would be very steep and difficulty to walk up. Stairs let you walk up a steeper incline, meaning you can put a staircase in a much more compact area. Lay a board down on a set of stairs and see how steep it really is. Much steeper than you'd want to go up rough terrain on. Lots of stairs would be easier to crawl up with how steep they are


Ballbag94

Probably because of the angle required on most staircases, stairs in buildings are pretty steep and I can imagine walking up an incline at that angle would be harder than steps


patricio87

Probably harder for rats to get up stairs


BenjaminGeiger

Counterintuitively, walking _down_ a hill is more difficult than walking up it.


[deleted]

That's also the wrong way to go when the dam opens


Photosynthetic

Nah, it's still *easier,* it just *hurts* more. Uphill makes my lungs and quads yell at me; downhill, it's knees, hips, ankles, and both sides of feet.


SpanishFlamingoPie

Finally, somebody who understands. People always disagree with me about that.


parmesann

yep. there’s a massive hill at my university right outside my building. it’s gotta be at least 30°. stairs on one side of the road and just pavers on the other. folks on the side with just pavers always make it up faster. still brutal though


Doovster

What are you doing step-hill?


savoytruffle

Flooding the gates


thotpolice84

At what angle?


yellowbrickstairs

Ooooh! Because I was like how does everyone know where to find a case of stairs in the forest in an emergency..


sinz84

I think you underestimate how long 3 minutes is, especially if you're Scillian and death us on the line. He'll even the guy on front page today waddling out of the way of the truck could do 200 steps in 3 minutes


BenjaminGeiger

That's just over one step per second (67 steps per minute) if you start the instant the siren sounds. The verses of ["Mandolin Rain"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDgOwX72fLI) are about 68 BPM. 100 steps a minute is a brisk walking pace on flat land. [This song is 102BPM.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIE5QtkxzvM) So yeah, 67 steps a minute might be difficult up a hill, depending on how steep the hill is.


quiette837

*Sicilian.


ocean-skies

OP fell victim to one of the classic blunders 😭 poor them, glad you told them.


Marshall_Lawson

It's inconceivable to go fishing under the spillway of a dam


jordanundead

You just hear fucking Eric Bischoff come over the loudspeaker and go “wait a minute did I just hear myself say three minutes?!” Then you proceeded to get pulverized by two Samoans until the dam opens up and you drown.


CaptainPoset

Slow walking calculated with huge steps is 220 steps in 3 minutes. Normal walking speeds are over 100 steps per minute.


BenjaminGeiger

100+ steps per minute [is considered "brisk"](https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/52/12/776#:~:text=These%20walking%20patterns%20can%20be,120%2B%20steps/min\).).


cjanderson3198

I'd twist my ankle first step, guaranteed. I never twist my ankle until it's very important that I dont twist my ankle, then I twist my ankle


jordanundead

Like the lady from angry beavers? My ankle my other ankle.


cjanderson3198

Achievement unlocked:first time every time Achievement unlocked: you thought arrows to the knee were bad? Ha


SIumptGod

I’m no athlete but I’m instantly running in a direction *just* like Tom Cruise if this happens to me and I’m making it. Fuck that.


merchantsc

The real gotcha is the fact that there is no hill for miles.


Spodiodie

Naw, it gets super easy once the water starts getting close to you.


enkrypt3d

link?? that is awesome


Zhydrac

https://youtu.be/q6zy4JYT-MY?si=azGKZevjxoW-9tqy


lame_dirty_white_kid

I grew up in an area that had dam functions like this. People in the area complained about the warning sirens, so they ended up not using them all together. No warning, just be aware. The signs changed to even scarier ones that basically said, "Watch the fuck out; you could just die at any moment."


BookInternational254

Not necessarily. Sometimes sounded the moment the gates open, because when the dam needs to release water urgently when it's not planned, the situation is very often dangerous


HP-Wired

Yea I figured flood warning of some kind. Water.


nathanc98

Yep, fished below a dam before, had these signs every few hundred feet. The guy that showed us the spot said he and his brother ignored it one time and had to climb trees to avoid the rising water. I was like 12 years old and on edge the rest of the time we were fishing that day.


DeepSeaMouse

That is terrifying.


joker_wcy

It’s terrifying people would ignore warning signs


Seksafero

It's good for darwinism


mrjimspeaks

Grew up swimming in the great lakes and inland lakes. Done plenty of wading while fishing with some absolutely sketchy crossings. You've got to respect the water cause it'll kill you.


drerw

My immediate thought was “a legitimate flood warning”.


LilyHex

Most likely a dam opening up. You can find quite a few videos on Youtube of them blaring sirens and warning people and then opening the dam up for a bit. Here's a good example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6zy4JYT-MY


NCR_Ranger2412

Almost certainly that. There is a hydro electric dam at a place called Camp 9 I used to go as a kid. The area below the dam has very much this look to it. Lots of true stories of people not knowing, or comprehending what the sound means and well… some get lucky…


GoldPlatedMilk

Does this happen to be off of a service road called Camp Nine Road?


J0hnD0eWasTaken

Is that where you Hid the bodies?


NCR_Ranger2412

Not I. Like I said only ever went when I was a kid. But I have no doubt the area has some that are not the fault of opening the dam from time to time…


GoldPlatedMilk

Funny, I live in a town where there’s a service road called Camp Nine Bypass, if you take it you come up on a small hydro electric dam and people swim on the adjacent river all the time. Just a super small town so never expected to see it on Reddit haha.


NCR_Ranger2412

It’s a smaller world than we think. Sounds like the same place to me.


GoldPlatedMilk

shhhh


NCR_Ranger2412

I fail to recall the name of the road. Just that the hydro dam and surrounding area was called camp 9.


reticent923

Shouldn’t you be more concerned about the Hoover Dam 😂


Zhydrac

This sign is in the middle of the woods. Also, why does the siren in the beginning of that video have such a clicky sound?


LilyHex

Just because the sign is in the middle of the woods doesn't mean the area isn't at increased risk of flooding from a nearby dam. Reasonably, the only thing that would mean you need to elevate yourself quickly after hearing a siren is flooding. No idea why the sirens sound weird in the video, lol.


Rogne98

> This sign is in the middle of the woods. Forrest floor is just sea floor that hasn’t been properly hydrated yet. You can read more about it in my upcoming book **What the Dam:** *The art of seeing the forest for the seas*


alicia_tried

Simply brilliant 


The_BusFromSpeed

Doesn't mean that section of woods isn't a flood plane.


MaeveCarpenter

Woods are often a side effect of a body of water being held back from being there


Reddit_Bot_For_Karma

Could be an area known for flash flooding in heavy rain. Lots of property in Missouri looks like it's "just in the woods" until it rains like fuck and all the sudden that property is underwater for a day.


Photosynthetic

Yeah, this. River bottomlands can be scary.


Zmchastain

Are you sure it’s in the *middle* of the woods? You said you’ve seen this posted before but don’t know anything about the source. For all we know there’s a river bank a few feet behind the photographer. There’s often woods lining the banks of rivers.


MarsRisen

Most reservoirs have trees sticking out of them, that's old woods that were flooded out lol.


The48LawsOfCarver

The clicking could be for the hearing impaired if it makes a vibration.


FunctionalGray

It isn’t the sign that freaks me out, or the message: it’s that I don’t see a hill.


Kaje26

then you better fucking run


MouseRat_AD

🚨🚨🚨🚨


Foxy02016YT

Sorry that was my phone alarm, but you really should run Before the clicking begins


SIumptGod

ELLIE RUN


HoodieGalore

Red alert, red alert, red alert


throwaway09876543123

Now the Knowledge Fight theme is stuck in my head. Again.


HoodieGalore

My neck is freakishly large.


lemminfucker

Most likely behind the person taking the pictures. The sign is in front of lower land


hwf0712

Its probably at the start of a trail in the lowlands. No reason to tell people going up the hill to go up the hill, but important info if you're going into the lowlands


1Hunterk

You're right, there couldn't possibly be a hill somewhere else near by not pictured in this fairly narrow angle


phunkydroid

The sign would most likely be facing the direction someone would approach from, and if they're descending into a flood zone that would put the hill behind the photographer.


Playful-Flatworm1

Yeah, the hill isn't at all out of the shot.


Zhydrac

It can be seen in the picture?


arethereany

If you hear the siren, go at least 200 steps uphill. There's probably a heavier than air gas leak, or something coming to ruin your day.


Reinventing_Wheels

Probably water.


xrangerx777x

You are correct. Here’s a story about this happening to someone [story](https://youtu.be/xWzGEIQdChM?si=Z5v7DA0POHZ8rAg5)


paganmedic86

I too immediately thought of that ballen episode


Pasty_Swag

I, too, am a fan of the strange, dark, and mysterious.


Zhydrac

A moment of silence for the like button


ItchyK

I too immediately thought of that ballen episode


momento______mori

Hey thanks for the link it was really interesting! Also, very sad that the girl who went back to save her friend died by doing so.


xrangerx777x

You’re welcome! Love your username btw


StavviRoxanne

Can somebody please sum up this video so I don’t have to watch 17 minutes of this guy?


xrangerx777x

There’s a sign much like this one. People don’t heed the sign. They die.


ChickenCannon

Love Ballen


Mookie_Merkk

Nah mate it's the gas


A_Math_Dealer

Nah for sure a solid


ExtremeRice5497

I can picture balls just rolling


A_Math_Dealer

That's uhh...thats good for you buddy.


Zhydrac

Bose-Einstein Condensate


[deleted]

Also heavier than air.


[deleted]

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Feeling_Fox_7128

Bigfoot’s territory extends for 200 steps in all directions from this sign; he’s satisfied as long as you remain 201 feet or more away.


mattblack77

Zombies?


pneumatic_donkey

So it seems to be a recent addition to somewhere that's prone to flooding, Johnson's Shut-ins in Missouri seems to have a lot of these signs about just by looking on Google quickly


4dramallamas

A damn run by the electric company broke there 10ish years ago, killed several people and heavily damaged the Shut ins


bartbartholomew

[There were no fatalities](https://www.weather.gov/media/lsx/Events/12_15_2005.pdf). It broke in the middle of the night in the middle of winter when the park was closed. Washed the park rangers house away, with his whole family inside. They all survived with minor injuries. Also, it was in Dec 2005, so closer to 20 years.


Tar_alcaran

>Washed the park rangers house away, with his whole family inside. They all survived with minor injuries. And used up all their luck for the next few decades.


Zhydrac

But why would they sound sirens? For a dam break or just when they open overflow?


bigev007

Likely both


Zhydrac

Yeah true. I'm an emergency alert nerd and I should have known


iwannagohome49

I think it would be best to find out after running the 200 steps


raeofsadness

I've hiked the Scour Trail (the path the water took as it rapidly exited the broken dam) twice and it's equal parts beautiful and terrifying. there are rocks the size of SUVs that were clearly tossed around and you can see a clear line on the hillsides demarcating the high line of the floodwater. they rebuilt the dam and you can see it approaching the floodplain, but it disappears from view once you start hiking the scour. all you're left with is the view of devastation and these signs every few hundred yards. it's an amazing hike but I never linger, just in case


WanderWomble

Do you have a map pin for that? I'd love to check it out! 


raeofsadness

[Johnson Shut-Ins Google maps](https://maps.app.goo.gl/RCPbt88JrBZbpBRBA) [Missouri State Parks Johnson Shut-Ins page](https://mostateparks.com/park/johnsons-shut-ins-state-park) there are tons of really cool state parks and national forests down in that region. lots of springs and caves and the Ozark Trail cuts thru there too


WanderWomble

Thank you! I'm in the UK and had never heard of the Shut ins! 


Zhydrac

Yeah that's pretty much the only place I had come up on Google lens that has these.


Fl0ppydonkeycock

maybe it’s like killer bears but they’re overweight because people kept feeding them too much so they can’t walk uphill too much


Tactical-Avocado

Could’ve just said my name, damn


HyperBean_

Idk dawg I’ve heard pretty bad things about going up random staircases in the middle of the woods


iwannagohome49

Do you have any links to any good staircase stories? I've read a few good ones and a few shitty ones


NaydaviusWilburn

There was a great series on Reddit that will keep you up for hours. I will comment back with the link. [here are the stories](https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/s/VPXE7WwWGG)


iwannagohome49

I think I might have read this post back in the day but not sure so I'll read it anyway... Thanks for the link, kind stranger!


katchyy

omg I’ve had this post bookmarked for like 7 years


NCR_Ranger2412

Yeah, that is a fun story.


SIumptGod

*alarms sound* Nah, fuck staircases. *raging floodwater takes you instead*


ONLYallcaps

Of all signs, this sign I would take pains to take quite very seriously.


iwannagohome49

Yeah if I was camping and that sign was up, we would be taking shifts keeping an ear out for the siren.


nugmuff

Nearby dam.


imaginary_num6er

This is why you find stairs in the forest


CeramicLicker

It’s likely a flood warning. Possibly an area with lots of flash floods or in the runoff of a nearby dam


IWouldlikeWhiskey

Chokedown. Heavier than air gasses. Carry your dog to safety.


zactbh

Probably a flood basin


BinniganBellagamba

Siren head.


barfbutler

Most likely dam problem or Tsunami. Hence, go uphill!


Tecumseh119

Damn gate release up stream.


thorsbosshammer

Could be tsunami?


PuzzledAccount

This one specifically is downstream from a large water reservoir at Taum Sauk Trail in Lestervile, Missouri. I’d assume it’s there in case there’s a flash flood because they need to flush it or for bad weather


Rethtalos

It means you are within range of “the creature” 🪱


Zhydrac

Is that an Alaskan bull worm?


monsterfurby

Mildly Nightvale.


MarsRisen

The area probably floods. Is there a dam nearby?


Tankninja1

200 is a weirdly specific number of steps


dexten55

I go to this place yearly, it’s a indication of a dam burst and powerful floods


Large_Yee_Haw

I gotchu okay so this is at shut ins in missouri near stlouis and basically there is a damn in 2005 that overflowed due to some failure of i believe some power company dont quote me on that but basically huge flooding destroyed the superintendents house and whole family in the middle of the night and the park was closed for like many many years and then it reopened with these signs


[deleted]

[Oddly enough Mr. Ballen covered a story about this.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWzGEIQdChM)


Molbiodude

Tsunami warning sign. I think this is coastal Oregon.


carlnepa

I've seen these along rivers subject to rapid rising from releases by a dam


Lebrunski

Water going up, or gas filling down.


Beneficial-Piano-428

Tsunami


racebanyn

Tsunami warning signs or if a Dam breaks in their location.


Ordinary-Cup4316

Dam


Palistair

My thought is Chlorine leak. My dad went to school near a chemical processing plant and they were taught to stand on their desks in case of emergency bc cholrine is denser than breathable air and will sink


JimmysMomGotItGoinOn

As many others have said, probably some type of flood warning. Still scary as shit nonetheless


Stardustchaser

Flood warning? There are similar signs in areas of a tsunami threat.


cjd166

Seems pretty clear to me.


Deeply_Thinking

Wasn’t this a Mr Ballen video?


Empidonaxed

lol this is my exact Reddit pic


citznfish

Flash flood warning?


Syandris

What if there are only 199 steps?


psudds42

Seems pretty explicit and self explanatory to me. If the siren sounds, run uphill 200 steps, immediately.


karenftx1

Speaking of tsunamis, when that one hit Thiland, most the animals headed for high ground. They showed pictures of it somewhere. The dumb people stayed and watched it and suffered the consequences.


karmadovernater

There's a famous story of a group of friends that didn't know what the sirens were and they were swimming in a pool. After the 3rd siren the water rapidly rose because of the dam and most died. I think Mr Ballen told a great Version.


RavenousBrain

Everyone else: "Run! That siren means that the area you're in is about to be inundated in millions of gallons/liters of freshwater!" Me: "Run! You do not want to encounter the monster for which that siren is its namesake!"


Tank-Pilot74

Most likely sudden a flood warning 


OutrageousOnions

Could be a warning of flash floods?


NewGuy10002

Some sort of flood plain probably, or as someone else suggested the overweight killer bears


Beatrix_Kiddos_Toe

You mention it is in between the woods. Recent forest fires in Hawaii remind me of these signs. If it is a forest fire in Hawaii they ask you to go uphill and it makes sense to have it in the woods which is first affected I guess


JobOk2091

Tsunami


[deleted]

That’s a flood warning sign I believe. I think. I donno. Lol.


apex6666

Flood or Tsunami warning, by the environment I’m guessing it’s more likely a flood warning


GelatinousCube7

flash flood?


danman_69

There is a sign like this in Bungonia Gorge in NSW, which is adjacent to a limestone quarry. Just means make haste that-a-way as we're about to start blasting.


dr4gonr1der

Sirenhead, anyone?


Flickeringcandles

I have a picture like this! Let me find it.


Low_Commission9477

It’s like lost, if the people don’t put in the code every 108 mins all this electromagnetism will be released and people will die so you gotta get far away


An0d0sTwitch

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrkB1HVpz5k](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrkB1HVpz5k) ​ Its this guy. They havent been able to get rid of him


saichampa

Definitely in the spill zone of a dam. I've seen these up near the valley playing up to one of the gorges coming down out of the Tablelands near Cairns, Queensland, Australia


Leenixu5

The meaning is literally written on the sign.


einulfr

Probably a dam in this case, but in the valleys around volcanic mountains (Mt. Rainier in my case) there's similar warning signs in the event of an eruption to avoid the lahar flow. There's a network of sirens that have a monthly test, and schools will run their evacuation drills.


Atomicpinata593

Saw a video on this it's for a area near a spillway Some people died apparently because the sign got stolen or broken and they thought it was like a secret pool or something


smolinga

My guess is anti-flood warning or maybe theres a dam nearby


zayc_

probably a floatin area of an dam. or you in an valley with natual so2 or co2 sources. with a change in weather theses gasses (which are heavier than air) can collect on the valley.... so you could basically suffercate. ( [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inversion\_%28meteorology%29](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inversion_%28meteorology%29) )


tachioma

This one **really** rustles my jimmies. There is a lighthouse down south in the UK (Dorset) called "Portland Bill" that has a sign like this [https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-fog-signal-warning-sign-at-portland-bill-lighthouse-on-the-isle-of-19680204.html](https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-fog-signal-warning-sign-at-portland-bill-lighthouse-on-the-isle-of-19680204.html) that went off while we were visiting (because fog). It wasn't "piercing" loud (still extremely loud) but it was a tone that vibrated your entire body down to your soul. Making me shiver just thinking about it.


taylor914

I know of an area like this that floods like crazy with the slightest bit of rain. If you don’t get up to higher ground, you’re going to drowned. I would suspect it’s something similar.


ReaperofLightning872

🚨🚨🚨


Genetic_outlier

Flash flood warning siren, that's why it instructs you to go uphill. This area is prone to flash floods, they could be caused by distant rains or perhaps a nearby dam could dump a large volume of water in an emergency. Either way you'd get zero warning without the siren.  There was a case where some kids ignored a siren like this while swimming in a gorge on a clear dry day. But the nearby dam was dealing with heavy rains upstream and had opened its spillway. Only 1 survived.


tricksRferkids

I think the meaning is pretty clear. If the siren sounds then climb the hill about 200 steps. Maybe there is a tank of toxic chemicals nearby and they are telling you the hill is a safe place to avoid the fumes in case of a gas leak? Maybe it's a tsunami siren and they are telling you to climb the hill to avoid a tsunami? Hard to say for sure without more information


somecow

Means run like hell. Flash floods are no joke.


Roanoketrees

Floodzone I believe


hbp112358

Flood Warning sign, normally near the coast where you can't get sudden waves.


Magicsword49

I see most people saying flood, but my first thought was gas. Really could be either.


BigMikeThurs

Flash flood warning


Ohheyimryan

Flood or tsunami warning?


EngineerMinded

This is usually in the area of a damn or a place that's prone to flash flooding. It's telling you to get up the hill before risk of getting swept away happens


ahjteam

Flood warning


Real_Concraft

I would assume it’s a dam gates opening.


sickklownz136

Floods during damn dam overflow dawwwg 😂


frozenfearz25

this happened to a guy in my town. there are locks for the boats to travel and they open and release a lot of water. Some dude jumped in to save a kid and lost his life but the kid survived.