With the all the incendiary talk, you might be wondering how to build a fallout shelter. You know, just in case. And with domestic tensions running high, it seems like a foreign attack isn’t the only thing to worry about. If you’re the better-safe-than-sorry type, creating a fallout shelter can provide peace of mind at the very least. Who knows? It could turn out to be an actual lifesaver.
As it turns out, you really canbuild a falloutshelter in your own home—even if you don’t havea basem*nt!
A brief history ofbuilding bomb shelters
Designed to reduce exposure to radioactive debris—aka fallout—during a nuclear attack, fallout shelters were popularized in the late 1950s, during the Cold War. While American kids practiced duck-and-cover drills in school, President John F. Kennedyadvised that “in the event of attack, the lives of those families which are not hit in the nuclear blast and fire can still be saved if they can be warned to take shelter, if that shelter is available.”
The answer? Shelters at home. TheOffice of Civil Defense begandistributingpamphlets that outlined how to build your own fallout bunker, and quite a few people dug out bomb shelters in their backyards, creating plywood structures within the earth and stocking them with everything a family might need for weeks on end.
It’s still not uncommon to find bomb shelters inhouses built prior to the 1970s. Theyreportedlycameback in fashion after the election ofPresidentDonald Trump, when manufacturers of these hideouts say their sales shotup 700%. And that figure doesn’t even account for the folks who are trying tobuild their own fallout shelters.
Sooooo, how exactly do youbuild your own fallout shelter, anyway?
Where to go in the eventof a nuclear blast
The key to staying safe during a nuclear attackis to placematerial capable of blockinggamma rays between you and the blast. If you live in a home withan underground basem*nt, you’re in luck—at least 3feet of solid packed earth offers sufficient protection.
If you’re living in a homewith nobasem*nt, all is not lost. Lead and concrete are also listed among the best options to block the gamma rays of a nuclear blast, saysRobert Richardson, author ofThe Ultimate Situational Survival Guide.
“While an underground shelter is going to provide more protection, even a concrete office building can act as an emergency fallout shelter,” Richardson says.So if your house is made of wood and your neighbor’s is sturdy concrete, you may be best off heading next door.
In addition tothetype of building youshelter in, where you hunker down inside can make a huge difference.Richardson says that in case of a nuclear blast, you’re better off choosing an interior room in your home, as low down as possible.
“The bottom center portion of a building will provide the mostprotection from gamma rays, sincethe upper floors of the building and the exterior rooms will act as a shield,” Richardson says. Basically, “the more material you can place between yourself and the rays, the better protected you will be.”
How to build a fallout shelter
Once you’ve found the bestplace in your vicinity to go in the event of a bomb scare, there’s more you can do to fortify this area.
“Sandbags, bricks, containers filled with water, or any heavy materials that you can find can be used to protect against anuclear blast,”Richardsonnotes. Just placethese items against yourwalls—particularly the windows where radiation can still sneak through, or on the floors above wherever you are.Mattresses can be leanedup against windows, as well as stacked books, furniture, bags of clothes, and anything else with some heft.
From there, it’s time to stock up!The greatest risk offallout occurs during the first two to three weeks following a nuclear blast, Richardson says, so if you’re intent on hiding out in a shelter for that time, get enough food and water to last. It might not be comfy, but we’re talking about survival here.
