Hungary Warns Residents of Disasters ... in Middle-earth

Hungary had a conundrum: How to test its emergency broadcast system, but not alarm residents by mentioning real towns? The solution: Use Middle-earth instead, the AP reports. The country’s disaster management agency is warning citizens today about severe weather in Gondor, Rohan, Rivendell, and Helm’s Deep, all locations from JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. Officials, who are running the warnings mostly on state radio and TV, want to see how effectively the messages reach the youth population. (More J. R. R. Tolkien stories.)