Nukes
You Will Survive Doomsday
By Bruce Beach
Table of Contents
MYTHS
MYTH #03: You can build an adequate shelter in your basement.
For a number of reasons, basement shelters do not offer the amount of
protection that is commonly supposed. A proper analogy between them and
a survival installation as described later in this document would be to
compare a plank with a well-equipped and commanded lifeboat. This is
not to say, that if someone finds themselves in the water from a sunken
vessel, it is not well to advise them to grab hold of a plank and start
paddling in the direction that one hopes there lies shore, if there is
no better means of survival, such as a lifeboat, or raft.
Similarly, there is very little protection afforded (starting from
the rooftop down) by a layer of shingles, a foot or two of light
insulation (composed mainly of air-spaces for the purpose of retaining
heat), a quarter to half inch of plaster board, some paint, a carpet on
the floor, another layer or two of thin boards, and perhaps some
paneling or ceiling tiles if the basement is finished. The distance
between the roof and the basement (a two-story house offers more than
a bungalow in this way) does allow some additional protection, but this
factor, along with the combined density of all the matter described,
would not equal more protection than would be afforded by six to eight
inches of earth.
When, within such a basement situation, one starts to create an
expedient shelter using, as is usually advised, such materials as
bookcases and trunks (filled with earth if possible), there are certain
design errors that are liable to creep in. Piling dirt or other
material on the floor above will help but the greatest dangers will be
from the areas outside the basement wall where the foundation extends
above the ground. It is best to keep ones shelter at least three feet
below the outside ground level, and to have at least three feet of soil
above one's head.
The next most overlooked problem is that of proper ventilation, so as
to avoid carbon dioxide poisoning. As stated before, most survival
experts advise a location other than the basement for such reasons as
the threat of carbon monoxide poisoning in case of fire, broken gas
mains, and the threat of fire itself that may result from the wide
spread firestorms caused by the thermal radiation associated with a
nuclear blast.
There are certain advantages to a basement shelter. One may have access
to necessities such as food, clothing, and blankets stored in the home.
There may still be water available from the hot water tank. And, most
importantly, one may feel certain psychological comfort by being in
the familiar surroundings of their own home. None of these advantages
of course hold a candle to the advantage of being in a properly equipped
and manned survival center.
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