You guys are gonna think I'm nuts...........

[CumminsLuke]

Ok, I've been thinking a lot lately, and due to how things are going in the world I'm thinking I'd like to build or buy some type of bomb/storm/fallout shelter for my family on our farm. I can't spend a ton of money on this. Maybe I could go $3,000-4,000. I have a lot of ideas, old tanks, pre-made concrete, fiberglass pre-formed, culvert pipe with the ends welded shut, and on and on. I think I would bury it near my house and possibly put a concrete patio or something over it?

This company is near me, and they are reasonably price.

Tornado Guard™ Storm Shelters

I could bury it, put a concrete patio over it, and then but one of these special ventilation systems to use in the situation of a nuclear attack or something, something like this...........

Automatic bomb shelter ventilation system

Or I could do the culvert pipe deal, my brother who is a trained fabricator could build it for me, or maybe something like it out of steel?

Mini Blast & Fallout Shelter

I don't know, maybe I'm losing my marbles or going of the deep end? But I think I am really interested in doing this.

 

[GPintheMitten]

Here's my thinking. Tornado shelter? Yes. Nuclear bomb shelter? No.

I would rather get vaporized with everyone else, than walk around getting radiation sickness with a bunch of death and destruction all around me.

If someone pulls the triggers, I just hope it happens quickly.

 

[CumminsLuke]

I would rather get vaporized with everyone else, than walk around getting radiation sickness with a bunch of death and destruction all around me.

I don't know, where I live it is highly unlikely that a nuclear attack would happen anywhere even close, but the fallout from such an attack could affect us. Here is a quote from an article I read about this topic...........

"They must also be taught how to effectively shelter in place for a brief time while the radioactive fallout loses 90 percent of it's lethal intensity in the first seven hours and 99 percent of it in two days. For those requiring sheltering from fallout, the majority would only need a couple or three days of hunkering down, not weeks on end."

If that is the case, I would sure rather try to have a plan in place now to save my wife and young son than to not. I think I could buy or build such a shelter and I think it would be a good investment.

 

[Mousefield]

If it makes you feel good go for it. Mentioned that it would be multi purpose and for a reasonable cost. If you don't use it for a bomb/storm/fallout shelter it could be a root cellar or? It would be an interesting, hopefully low budget project. Nothing wrong with giving thought on how to protect yourself and family.

 

[CumminsLuke]

Here is a good article. Point #5 has a lot of good shelter info. It mentions building a shelter in the basement. I wonder if building something in the basement would be better than outside and buried underground?

http://www.ki4u.com/guide.htm

 

[Iowachild]

Having grown up in Iowa, I believe an tornado or storm shelter as I knew it, is a great idea. On my grand parents farm the storm shelter was a earth bermed structure that primarily did duty as a root cellar. It is the structure to the front of the car in the attached photo. I really thought bomb shelters went out of favor in the late 60's!

 

[GPintheMitten]

I agree, that if it makes you feel better, do it. I can understand your desire to protect your family.

Me? I'm retired. I raised my family. I'm not sure I really want to live in a world after a nuclear war. And make no mistake, it won't be one bomb. If it is one, expect 100's or 1000's or 10,000's to be exchanged. Maybe we'll be lucky and it will only be one rogue bomb from a terrorist.

So, what about food and water? I know you can store some, but all the food in groceries and warehouses will be contaminated with absorbed radiation as well as crops in the field. We'll loose current year's production as well as everything in the supply chain. It will take another growing and canning season for the nation's food supply to be replenished. Sounds like you would need about a 2 year's supply unless the govt has something stashed away for us. You can forget about meat and milk for a while. Hopefully someone has some breeding stock hidden in the bush in Australia or someplace that doesn't get hit.

You might want to squirrel away some honey bees for pollination as well.

This whole thing is depressing. That's why I don't even want to think about building a bomb / fallout shelter. Tornado, yes. Good luck.

 

[wedge40]

Sounds like a great root celler. Survival after a nuclear attack. Maybe. After a nuclear WAR forget about it. Better off making sure you have plenty of gas so you can drive toward ground zero. It would be much more merciful.


Wedge

 

[two_bit_score]

If it makes you feel better and you feel you are doing right by your family then go for it.


A lot of people are adding 'safe rooms' in their houses these days. Not for protection in a nuclear attack but for a safe place to retreat for other attacks, home invasion robberies, etc.

 

[dave1949]

Like others said, whatever makes you feel secure and you can afford, why not?

I don't think a nuclear war is anywhere on the horizon, terrorists with a dirty bomb is much more likely. Or, a biological attack. Or a pandemic of some really virulent virus or bacteria. Or global food shortages. Or global oil supply delivery disruption, which will lead to food and water shortages.

Take your pick from Pandora's Box and try to figure out how you would get through those situations. In any real protracted disaster, other people will be your biggest obstacle to survival IMO.

If your shelter protects you from storms and is a good place to store food such as a root cellar or an emergency supply of canned goods, water, fuel, etc. it will have accomplished something.

I don't think you are crazy, but please keep in mind the hardships folks have survived in the past without holing up in a shelter. It's certainly a healthy natural instinct to think about how one would protect their family, but remember that in every generation there have been those who see the world going to heck in a handbasket just 'real soon now'. Not saying it can't happen, but it hasn't yet.

Dave.