The Survivalist Pledge:

To help all that can be helped,
To defend all that can be defended,
To save all that can be saved,
To free all that seek freedom,
To stay alive as long as I can and stay free as long as I live.

This is the case for building a bomb shelter, as a hobby, right under your existing house. I am not referring to some dugout for fallout protection that, after completed, sits there collecting moss and cobwebs, but an aesthetically appealing permanent extension of the house. Again, not out in the yard or off somewhere in the hills, but directly under the present house structure. Besides the usual motivation associated with a good hobby, this hobby has some special motivating factors.

a) Your home is your castle. You hold it dear, have a great deal of emotional and physical involvement tied up in it. Fixing up and improving the home is a well recognized form of satisfaction, especially to those that do it themselves.
b) For most national emergencies it would be better to stay put at home rather than chasing off to some place of unknown hazard. As we know, radiation from a nuclear war could be anywhere and everywhere. Besides, how much time will we have? So running away isn't the answer. The answer may be right at home--under your house.

The essence of a hobby is to have a visible activity where a person's artistic, creative inspirations can find an outlet. This hobby not only does that, but it has innumerable practical advantages, many of which are itemized further on in this article.

THE HOBBY:

But first, let's introduce this most imaginative and yet interesting and practical of hobbies. The one, that for me, has become the venture of my life. It is the designing and building of tunnels, rooms, and passageways underneath the house. These are made of reinforced concrete, which is bomb/fallout, vandal/sabotage, and water/quake proof. The project involves camouflaged entries, multiple combination doors, secret passages, and aesthetically interesting rooms. It features a complete self-contained life support system including: storage for food, water, medical supplies, tools, and other necessities. There are alternative power and ventilation systems, and furnishings--like radiation detection equipment. Before I give the psychological and motivational underpinnings that make the hobby work, please let me relate my personal experience and achievements with the project.

THE PROJECT:

As a hobby, I have been working consistently on this "project" for fourteen years. During the first several years it was called the "tunnel" because that was the first noticeably completed phase of the project. Now I give it the more generic name of The Project, since the original tunnel is only a small fraction of the whole. Currently one could also refer to it as a subterranean edifice. Our house is quite an ordinary looking tri-level house (with no basement) as viewed from the outside--giving no hint as to what is underneath. However, underneath there are presently eleven rooms, (total of 1000 square feet on four different levels) ranging in size from a 4 X 6 foot storage room to the Base Room which is 12 ft. wide and 39 ft. long, with a 9 ft. ceiling. There is the original tunnel and five other passage ways (an additional 225 square feet). Also, there are nineteen locking doors interconnecting three different entrances (the largest door weights about 6000 pounds). Each room and passage has its own individual decor. Each door is unique with a character of its own, requiring a different method to open. The finished rooms are clean, well lit and ventilated, brightly painted with a radiation resistant epoxy paint—aesthetically appealing as well as functionally practical. Included are such things as a built-in stereo, intercom system, telephone extensions, and two wash areas (one with a toilet).

I use a very simple engineering system involving six-inch concrete pilings which later become pillars inside the poured concrete walls. Outer walls and ceilings are fourteen inches (or more) thick with an abundance of steel reinforcement. Inner walls are also made of concrete and steel, thus giving the entire project a honeycombing strength. All concrete is mixed in the Base Room of the project. Each concrete pour is interlocked with a tongue & groove effect to the adjacent walls with a carry-though of the steel rebar.

Even though inside the project resembles a maze, externally (if you could see below the ground) it would look like a upside down pyramid extending deep (31 ft.) into the ground. All the standard problems of such construction have been solved quite simply, such as: removal of dirt, taking care of ground water, and mixing and placement of concrete, as well as making sure the integrity of the existing building remains in tact. Everything is designed for a one-man operation.

The walls are thick enough to encase all the utilities; i.e. ventilation and water pipes, electrical wires and conduits, etc. Hence, these are not exposed inside the rooms. Provision for utilities at deeper levels are contained in upper walls where appropriate. These would be used in future expansions. (The construction and material handling systems make it easier to go down deeper with the project rather than out horizontally.) The Project has been built in such a way that it is always in an operational mode--both in the sense it can be "buttoned-up" in a short time if necessary, and in the sense that some sort of construction is always in progress. In fact the original tunnel, completed some eleven years ago, was and still is, a secure bomb shelter in and of itself. The above features were developed slowly and laboriously over the years. But I'm convinced they can be done by practically anyone with the motivation. What one lacks in expertise and experience, they can make up for with study and patience. When you're doing your own thing (at your leisure), you enjoy taking the necessary time to do it right.

Financially, the hobby involves only a monthly budget, probably less than $150 per month. If you have some basic shop tools and equipment, you are ready to start. It is "work intensive" where the individual does virtually everything himself, using, for the most part, common off-the-shelf materials. Required skills can be obtained one by one as needed; most materials and tools are readily available at your local building supply and hardware store. The hobbyist does the planning and design work as the situation dictates. (Essentially, no outside contracting is required.) My project could easily supply the life support essentials for fifty or more people. Perhaps a bit shy of food, but with lots of water and fresh air.

What has been completed of the project can be used; otherwise it is an ongoing and continuous operation. As a hobby, I usually work on it a couple hours every day. And I hope to still be working on it far into my retirement--which is still twenty years away. That's assuming its "ultimate" function hasn't been required--resulting in the termination of a good hobby, yet the saving of many lives.

OTHER PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS

Now what would motivate one to such an undertaking? There are several motivating dimensions beyond family defense that are involved:

1. For a busy executive or professional spending much of the day behind a desk, it's a welcome diversion to have a physically demanding and creative hobby. (In my case I'm a college professor of business.)
2. It is an item of conversation and entertainment for house guests--depending on just how secret the project is to remain. (Each school term my wife and I have a party for my college students: the party features a tour of The Project.)
3. It is a meaningful extension to the house for recreation and storage, including safe places to hide valuables and supplies.
4. It is a sanctuary for solitude or outlet for frustrations. (I listen to my favorite music and radio programs while working.)
5. Regardless of the weather outside, it stays an ideal temperature for physical activity, whether summer or winter, about 60 degrees Fahrenheit, with no chill or dampness factor.
6. It facilitates the accumulation of tools and materials that would be helpful in time of emergency.
7. It's an exercise in, and training for, self reliance, sharpens creative and problem solving abilities, and develops survival skills like carpentry and maintenance--all useful in the aftermath of a nuclear holocaust.
8. It has value as an investment that, hopefully, one doesn't have to cash in on.
9. It should promote group and family spirit through cooperation on common objectives.

The practical aspects of being "under the house" include:

a) the hobbyist will feel more like spending time where things are convenient and handy (like bathroom, phone, snacks, tools, heat, family, etc.).
b) it will be easier to tie into existing utilities.
c) poor weather and climatic conditions will not deter progress.
d) storage and work areas can be more easily hidden.
e) the house over head gives additional fallout protection.
f) in time of emergency, there's easier access to everything in the house.
g) the project is strategically located for security of house and personal belongings during an emergency.
h) since the enemy will not strike at our convenience, there will most likely be neither time to prepare nor time to go somewhere. We will most probably be at home on that fateful "midnight".

I feel most families can find both time and money. Money from lesser priorities and time from the TV. As for experience, if challenged and motivated, they would learn fast. In the engineering, simply "over-engineer" for strength and safety. Therefore, I encourage any able-bodied person to embark on this exciting hobby.

MANUAL AVAILABLE

If you're interested in exploring this hobby further, I'd like to help. I've spent considerable time in developing a do-it-yourself instruction manual on the project. The manual is designed to help develop your "work of art"--yet benefit from my years of first-hand experience. The manual is provided in a three-ring binder. This allows for shop reference, insertion of notes, and the updating of pages. It contains 260 single-spaced, information packed pages. It is practically oriented, covering every aspect of engineering and construction. There are detailed drawings with easy to follow instructions. It shows how to plan and construct each segment of he project form the Tunnel Entry to the Staging Room. This includes such things as: a) making a material handling system, b) taking care of ground water, c) strategy for excavations, d) providing for plumbing and wiring, e) the forming and pouring of concrete, and f) the designing of six different entry doors.

The price of the manual is $139.00. This price also makes you eligible to visit The Project and receive free consulting services--as explained in the FOREWORD to the manual. Send a check. Or, if you would first like more information about the manual, I would be glad to send some additional printed material. Simply write: Ken Snyder, P.O. Box 418B, Blaine, WA 98230

Upgrading a Fallout Shelter

By Phil Hunter

Unfortunately, most of us don't have the money to build an expensive blast or fallout shelter. But there are some inexpensive ways to create a good shelter or upgrade the shielding on an existing shelter. The least expensive way of upgrading a shelter's shielding is by adding dirt to it. If part of the shelter is above ground, consider terracing around it and adding plantings to hide/screen the shelter to help conceal it. Stored water, tools, food, or other materials will also act as shielding. Be sure to place them on walls where they will help to increase protection. Some shelters can be upgraded with sand (or earth) in sand bags. Filling and moving sandbags is a back-breaking job but it's inexpensive if you have access to "free dirt." It's also often possible to add a layer of bricks or cinder blocks to a shelter wall. Lead is one of the best shelter materials. Lead has become almost free for the asking at many automotive stores. Old wheel weights have become almost worthless now that there's no demand for lead in gasoline. Most stores will give you as many old weights as you want if you'll simply cart the old weights off. These wheel weights can be used to fill space in hollow cinder blocks and thereby create a huge amount of shielding for very little money.

 

Please Read The Website Disclaimer!
Copyright 1986-2009, The Survival & Self-Reliance Studies Institute (SSRsi), All Rights Reserved
Site conceptualized, designed, created & maintained by MEG Raven
Snail Mail: SSRsi, PO Box 2572 Dillon, CO. 80435-2572