A Do-It-Yourself Fallout Shelter

Fallout shelters provide temporary relief from exposure to radioactivity resulting from nuclear attacks and industrial accidents. Post-Cold War interest in constructing fallout shelters is on the rise because of increasing global instability and the 2011 nuclear accidents in Japan. Fallout shelters shield you from radioactive dust, the blast wave from nuclear weapons, and must contain a supply of fresh food, water and air, as ingestion or inhalation of radioactive particles leads to radiation sickness. Before construction, determine the proximity of your location to probable targets. You could build a shelter in your basement, or excavate a subterranean bunker.

Instructions

Construction

• 1

  Blast waves of up to 2,000 miles per hour affect a 10-mile radius of a detonation.

  Determine how close you are to probable targets of a nuclear attack. Listed by priority, primary targets are missile silos, military bases and command and control centers. Secondary targets are major industrial, governmental and transportation centers, as well as ports and dams. Tertiary targets are high population centers. In the event of all-out nuclear war, expect a strike at any of these locations.

• 2

  Modern reactor design is said to reduce the chances of a major nuclear accident.

  Locate or excavate a below-ground space. Underground basements are ideal, because your home acts as an additional buffer to fallout and mitigates drainage problems. You can construct an underground shelter out of 4-by-8-by-6 inch solid concrete blocks. Underground shelters are more complicated; preventing cave-ins requires careful planning and construction. If building underground, build a room 8-by-10 feet wide with support poles every 4 feet along the center, or consider a narrow, 6-foot wide room, with 6-by-6 inch treated beams for the ceiling. These rooms can be as long as you want. Wood frames are cheaper than cement and cinder blocks.

• 3

  Be prepared to assist disaster personnel.

  Construct in the corner of your subterranean basement a room 8-feet wide and 9-feet long, with an entrance 2 feet 4 inches wide at the far side of the 9-foot wall and four ventilation openings above the first row of blocks in the 8-foot wall. Build a one brick wide wall to the side of the entrance 5 feet by 4 inches long, with a 2-foot hallway, to function as a radiation shield. Below your first floor, construct an 8-inch wide concrete ceiling using 2-by-6 inch ceiling joists for support. Set 2-inch wide sheathing between the joists and the bunker ceiling. Consult masonry guides before constructing to ensure that your structure is stable, or hire a professional.

• 4

  Fallout shelters double as tornado shelters.

  Consult local zoning and building codes before beginning excavation. Hillsides and inclines are excellent locations for shelters, so long as proper supports are used to prevent cave-ins. However, hand excavation tools make building a shelter an arduous process. Dig into the hill with a downward inclination to build the entrance, and then upward again, as a water catch. Dig a 6-foot wide room with 6-by-6 foot wooden ceiling beams and a support pole in the center every 4 to 5 feet; the room can be as long as desired. Dig a ventilation shaft along the side of your shelter, and consider using PVC or aluminum pipe with a screened exhaust head off of the ground.

Stocking

• 5

  Be aware of local civil defense sirens.

  Stock your shelter with enough food to last your family at least two weeks for a limited attack, or up to six months in the event of a nuclear war. Buy bulk food with the longest-possible shelf life that requires little to no water to prepare. Military rations such as Meals, Ready-to-Eat (MRE's) are specially made to fulfill nutrition requirements while also having a five-to10-year shelf life. Stock vacuum-packed dried and freeze-dried foods and nitrogen packed grains and legumes as well. Canned food requires more space than survival-purposed foods, have a shorter shelf life, and are vulnerable to corrosion, so account for moisture. For each person, have 1,800 calories per day stocked. Home made survival foods are a much more affordable resource; learn how to can and preserve foods.

• 6

  Use an emergency radio for notification of nuclear attack.

  Stock a first aid kit with burn creme, potassium-iodide tablets and a suture kit. Purchase or construct a water filtration system, a Geiger counter, medical guides to radiation exposure and an emergency radio. Gas masks with water straws and extra filters are affordable; check to ensure that your gas mask and filter are effective in NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) environments.

• 7

  Discourage looters by keeping your shelter secret and stocking a firearm.

  Consider purchasing a firearm; panic could spread in the event of a nuclear catastrophe, and unprepared individuals may attempt to loot your shelter.