I’ve shown this pic before…

…but not the inside pics: Here’s two, the rest are at Digital Trends, along with the story.

Now That’s What I Call A Bunker! is a post from: 2012 Blog

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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 in production in South Korea, and a teaser trailer has just been released:

Two directors, Kim Jee-woon (I Saw the Devil) and Yim Pil-sung (Hansel & Gretel) have created one segment each, and collaborated on a third. The featured doomsday scenarios are a pandemic, the rise of machines (robots) and a meteor headed for Earth – all of which make my list of 2012 possibilities.

Seed Bank Insurance / Korean Doomsday Movie is a post from: 2012 Blog

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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 with incomparable security. Bales shares his insight to provide a rare look at the multi-layered survival strategies he uses to build the most invulnerable and comfortable hidden residences in the country.

DOOMSDAY BUNKERS features the design and build of survival units with a reveal of the completed project.  From sizable underground bunkers with safety measures that include outside hand rails with hidden flame throwers, to special safety structures that include the Pyramid and Tsunami pods, each unit is tested using a battery of attacks that include firearms, fire, and falling vehicles. Each episode is a beginning to end “how to” and “why to” build the ultimate safety zone for those preparing for the worst.

Can’t wait for it screen in Australia! Here’s a pic from the company’s website – perhaps it is one of the bunkers that will be featured on the show?

Doomsday Bunkers is a post from: 2012 Blog

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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!

Not All Bunkers Cost $1 Million is a post from: 2012 Blog

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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 their offspring. And this blue-eyed survivor 8,000 years ago matches all the descriptions of the survivor Noah in the biblical Ark.

Blue Eye Noah: Survival RV is a post from: 2012 Blog

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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 are a US distributor.

Above-Ground Bunker by DuPont is a post from: 2012 Blog

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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 oil tank. And if I were to hide out in this oil tank, I would want to bury it, at least partially.

The original Chinese news story has pics showing that the oil tank is far from being finished. Read about it in English at Shanghaiist.

Chinese Budget Bunker is a post from: 2012 Blog

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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 to trust, and are you safer inside or out? To its credit, it has rated very well at IMDB, and has a few name actors in it. I’m couldn’t find a release date, but it will certainly be available on DVD.

Coming Soon: Take Shelter is a post from: 2012 Blog

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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)

The Ancient Bunkers of Cappadocia is a post from: 2012 Blog

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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.

Buy A Dish is a post from: 2012 Blog

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