Articles in Bunkers
Now That’s What I Call A Bunker!
I’ve shown this pic before…
…but not the inside pics: Here’s two, the rest are at Digital Trends, along with the story.
Seed Bank Insurance / Korean Doomsday Movie
Seed banks are incredibly valuable resources, and an acknowledgement that sometimes there SHTF events that require emergency backups. Seed banks can help restart horticulture in the event of a natural disaster or spread of a disease. But what if harm comes to the seed bank itself? Wars have destroyed seed banks in Iraq and Afghanistan. And during last year’s uprising in Egypt a seed bank was looted.
Sensibly the Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas – based in Syria – have decided to send a duplicate collection of their seeds to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. It’s a doomsdat bunker for seeds, located in the Norwegian Arctic. In total, 25000 new samples are being sent to Svalbard this week, bringing the total stored there to an incredible 740,000. Alongside Syria, the new samples include a further 12,000 from the USA. Full story at Associated Press.
Doomsday Book is a movie …
Doomsday Bunkers
Doomsday Bunkers is a new 3-part TV series that will launch on Discovery Channel in the USA on Wed March 7. A GLP forum member saw an ad for it:
it’s about what the title implies… awesome doomsday bunkers, people who build them, how they build them, what they put in them… etc etc.
Here’s more info from a press release:
Dallas-based Deep Earth Bunker owner Scott Bales and his crackerjack team of engineers and craftsmen bring a new dimension to the world of underground living, with an absolute goal of keeping their clients safe from physical, social, financial, political, psychological, and emotional harm. Air systems with nuclear, biological and chemical filters; massive water storage tanks; security systems; gun vaults; and decontamination rooms coupled with custom built kitchens with granite countertops; fine floor finishes; and luxurious bathrooms combine the comfort of above ground living …
Not All Bunkers Cost $1 Million
SouthernPrepper1 is one of the best survivalists on YouTube. Nothing fancy, but lots of basic, real information and experiences. Here he shows us bunker which he has stored some supplies in. For many scenarios a bunker does not need to protect you long-term, but rather for just a few days. And if that’s the case, your supplies can be kept elsewhere, in more basic surroundings:
He dug his bunker by hand, and used telegraph poles for support. But as he points out in the video, there are many types of soil, so don’t copy him unless you know what you are doing!
Blue Eye Noah: Survival RV
Speaking of Xmas wish lists…
Here’s an interesting idea – it’s a regular RV that you can leave parked in your driveway. But if a tsunami comes, and the floating tubes are attached, in becomes a boat. It’s tough (kevlar) and self-contained.
Made in Taiwan. Their website is blueeyenoah.com
Check out these features:
diesel generator, plus optional solar panel and wind-power generator
optional positive pressure air filter and water filter
bullet-proof – built with Kevlar
water-proof – it’s a boat when you add the floating tubes
17, 19, 21 and 23 feet models
It’s quite affordable, with prices starting at US$40,000. Available in the USA in the northern spring, just in time for the end of the world.
The name is interesting, here’s what they say:
…a natural disaster about 8,000 years ago wiped out other Homo sapiens races in the Black Sea area, and only one blue-eyed person (family) survived, resulting in a gene explosion by …
Above-Ground Bunker by DuPont
The brand most associated with bullet-proof vests is Kevlar, developed by DuPont way back in 1965. One way of describing how well it works is that it is 5x stronger than steel of the same weight.
Not very well-known is that DuPont make Kevlar-lined survival shelters (I only heard about it from this news item ). While an underground shelter is superior (safer from radiation, harder for marauders to find), there are advantages to being above-ground, and especially if it is installed as a regular room within your home. For one, you have immediate access. This means not braving a disaster getting to your shelter. It is also ideal for anyone with mobility problems – you can even access this shelter with a wheelchair. And the StormRoom is approved by FEMA as an above-ground hurricane and tornado shelter.
I think this video is a great example of the level of protection provided:
Storm Solutions …
Chinese Budget Bunker
Not the prettiest ark… but in China, alongside eating any insect/scorpion/brains from roadside stalls, I guess they are similarly practical when in comes to budget survivalism. I’m not sure if the 2012 movie inspired them, but 2012 doom scenarios are big in China. And so this oil tank is being re-purposed:
The 20,000RMB cylindrical waterproof Ark (formerly a less evocative ‘oil tank’) is 2.5 meters in diameter, 8 meters in length, and comes complete with windows, vents and a hatch. Its interior will be divided into a bedroom, storage room (for all the instant noodles) and restroom, and reputedly can hold up to 20 people (read: at least 45, since it’s China). The next phase of construction involves the installation of beds, power generators and kitchen appliances.
I do not know if basements exist in China, but if they do, that’d be my preference over this …
Coming Soon: Take Shelter
Take Shelter is a new independent movie that was screened at Sundance, Cannes (where it won two prizes) and just recently the Melbourne International Film Festival, where I caught it. This is quite possibly the best movie about a survival bunker ever made – so consequently it had my full attention. It brings up topics such as:
Building a bunker might cause your friends and family to abandon you
Building a bunker might cause financial problems
You might question your own sanity
But you might just be righteous in your actions
It will have a cinema release in the USA on Sept 30 2011.
Here’s the Official Site and Facebook Page.
Meanwhile, another film might be worth a look, although it doesn’t sound like an award winner. In The Divide, during a SHTF event the landlord of an apartment building in NYC convinces tenants to hide in his basement bomb shelter. It brings up questions of who …
The Ancient Bunkers of Cappadocia
Colleagues accuse me of thinking every ancient underground structure was a bunker, and I mostly do. This is one of my favourites. You can do your own research, this is just to let you know that it exists, and show you some images…
Derinkuyu is an ancient multi-level underground city in the Nevşehir Province of Turkey. You can tell from the diagram below that it is substantial. The eleven levels could potentially house tens of thousands of people.The official story is that it was built during 8th–7th centuries B.C, but it could be older. I love the doors that can seal the city from the outside world. Pics are via the Ancient Wisdom site.
Related articles
The Undergraund City (as spelled on sign) – Nevsehir, Turkey (travelpod.com)
Buy A Dish
Ever wanted to own a satellite communications dish? For post-SHTF reception or perhaps doing SETI work? Or just because it is cool owning a piece of history? This is the ground station that received the first pics back from the moon:
Jamesburg Earth Station, Carmel Valley, California
The 21,718 square foot secure structure is not a bunker, but with walls three feet thick it could make a good shelter. It comes with 103 acres and can be purchased for just under $3 million, with adjoining properties also available. The dish is 97 feet in diameter, and if you felt like playing with it, according to the Monterey County Herald it costs $3000 a time in electricity. Full details of the sale here. More photos and info here.
Tsunami Survival Capsule
Found at TechFlash:
…a tsunami escape capsule that could protect up to six people for as little as $1,000….The idea is simple: a 7-foot diameter ball, probably made out of aluminum, outfitted with internal seats and safety harnesses. In general it would have to protect people only for an hour or two, until tsunami waters receded.
This isn’t a bad idea, but personally my preference would be to not live on the coast, or just make sure you are alerted by tsunami warnings and flee inland. So while I certainly wouldn’t rely on one of these, I think they would be well suited to being your plan B for if normal escape is hindered.
Over the years I’ve had a similar idea percolating, but because I am not an engineer it won’t become reality (unless this post inspires someone). I think if you made a capsule but gave it …
Brisbane Not Safe / Allen West Attacked
According to Vivos, the American company that constructs the bunkers, “about two dozen” Brisbane residents are among “hundreds” of Australians enquiring about spots in massive underground bunkers that can house 1000 people for up to a year to ride out Hollywood-style disasters.
In the Brisbane Times Vivos suggests that the Blue Mountains would be a more suitable survival spot, as high ground near Brisbane is too close to the coast to survive a mega-tsunami. Vivos have cranked up the publicity machine recently, including a (fake) video of President Obama talking about the 2012 disaster. While I agree that Brisbane is not a place to survive, I would argue that a little more inland than the Blue Mountains you’ll find places that have more survival qualities. Also, I’m not sure if Vivos realize there are no missile silos that can be retrofitted in Australia.
Meanwhile I am saddened to learn …
A Bunker for Books
Hot on the heels of the seed vault in the Arctic comes the brainchild of Brewster Kahle, founder of the Internet Archive. While Google is busy digitizing the world’s books (and sawing off the bindings in the process), Kahle understands that having copies of the original might be useful, considering digital is open to manipulation. And of course for survivalists, this means a mega-library will exist post-SHTF that will be accessible without electricity.
A seed bank might be conceptually closest to what we have in mind: storing important objects in safe ways to be used for redundancy, authority, and in case of catastrophe.
…Ten million books is approximately the size of a world-class university library or public library, so we see this as a worthwhile goal. If we are successful, then this set of cultural materials will last for centuries and could be beneficial in ways that we cannot predict.
While this applies …
Bunker Video with Great Tips
This two parter (the second video is at my 2012 Videos page) is not only a great way to see what a $170K bunker looks like (that’s delivered and installed, by NBC, if anyone is interested…), but I learned some things:
Have sand above your emergency escape hatch – open the hatch, sand falls into your bunker. This means you have the protection afforded by the density of sand, combined with immediate escape.
Make sure you have an 8-ton bottle jack, in case something heavy is lying on top of your bunker when you try to exit
The NBC shelter has a protective grill around the hot water heater, so children don’t burn themselves. In a lockdown situation, kids will be bored, and there won’t be a hospital to take them to… so make everything super-safe!
Pump the sewage out of the bunker, meaning the septic tank can be at the surface somewhere, rather …
E-4B: US President’s Bunker in the Sky
I guess Diane Sawyer misspeaks when she says this plane can survive a nuclear attack (see video and article). It can survive fallout, but I’m sure it would be shredded if a nuke went off alongside it. The only place you can truly be safe is underground.
Still, it has many bunker aspects. Features of the $232 million modified 747:
Electromagnetic pulse shield
Thermo-radiation shields
Can fly for days without refuelling – meaning it can go anywhere in the world
165,000 pounds of advanced electronics
It even has the ability to communicate with submerged submarines via a five-mile-long cable, like a fishing line, but one that can send encrypted messages.
