Bomb Proof Cabins or Duck and Cover

If you know the phrase "duck and cover" you are probably at or near medicare age.  In the 1950's, the US government began a civil defense program aimed at school children.

The idea behind Bert the Turtle's message was that if you heard the warning siren or saw the blast, you should duck and cover.  I don't have any idea what protection a school desk would offer in a nuclear blast, but we spent a lot of time practicing this maneuver.

If you have seen any of the photos of the aftermath at Nagasaki, it would be obvious that this was an exercise in futility. With the tensions of the Cold War mounting in the 1960's, many folks turned to personal bomb shelters for some peace of mind.

The biggest problem with these personal units was keeping them a secret from your neighbor.  What if they jumped in and locked the door before your family could get in? (Don't you just love the PLYWOOD shelter? )

Well, here we are in another millennium and the survival shelter is still hanging in there...along with survivalists and doomsday preppers. The idea behind these new shelters is that you bury them 20 feet in the ground. They come with an air filtration system and a blast door.  The folks at Atlas Survival Shelters are cross-marketing these as camping cabins and tornado shelters.  

Of course, if you don't want the invaders or neighbors to find your little get-away, you need to camouflage the entrance and ventilation system.

I guess they could just go around knocking until they found a plastic tree or rock, but it is better than nothing. Would this stuff even survive a nuclear bomb?

If you don't die from claustrophobia from climbing down the requisite 20 feet, you will be greeted by living space including sleeping quarters, kitchen and restroom.  A 3-4 (how do they figure this?) person unit costs $29,900 plus shipping and installations.

If you're planning on a large family or lengthier stay, you may want to opt for the 10-12 man (I hope this includes women) shelter, starting at $77,900...which also comes with an emergency escape hatch should the main entry be covered with debris or even worse, discovered by intruders. These little underground wonders come complete with a mud room to leave the dirty or contaminated clothes behind.  

While I don't think I would want to be one of the few survivors of a nuclear holocaust, I do think these would be great tornado shelters.  Would Atlas shrug if I volunteered to try one of these at the ranch?