Mercedes Benzene Posted July 16, 2007 Report Posted July 16, 2007 Whenever I walk around DC, I occasionally notice signs on the outside of government buildings for fallout shelters. Now, I'm not sure if these could actually still be used in the case of a "nuclear emergency". Nonetheless, they remain from the cold war era. Since I was really little, I've had an odd fascination with nuclear weapons and such. As a result, these shelters interest me a great deal. So I ask you: Do you have any stories to share about fallout shelters?Any memories from the past?Are there any signs for fallout shelters near where you live? Where have you seen them recently? Quote
Buffy Posted July 16, 2007 Report Posted July 16, 2007 When I was really little in Los Angeles, they used to test the sirens every couple of months. Very disturbing. (Movie reference: The Time Machine ,the with Rod Taylor and Yvette Mimieux). I'm also unfortunately old enough to remember the Cold War and the whole mindset of "competition" between the west and the east, and although its hard to believe it, no terrorist can hold a candle to Mutually Assured Destruction. In the old days, if *anything* happened it was gonna be *all* over for *everyone*. I always thought the name "Fallout Shelter" was an odd one: the main thing it was protecting you from was the blast itself, and most of these "shelters" weren't sealed well enough or stocked well enough to keep you safe from the weeks/months/years of waiting out the half-life of the "fallout." In my travels, I've noted that those signs have disappeared from just about everywhere *except* Washington, DC. Life inside the Beltway is indeed different.... Duck n' cover, :phones:Buffy Quote
Turtle Posted July 16, 2007 Report Posted July 16, 2007 Do you have any stories to share about fallout shelters?Any memories from the past?Are there any signs for fallout shelters near where you live? Where have you seen them recently? I remember all the kiddies back in the day were taught at school to recognize the sign and to 'duck & cover' when they see the flash. ;) I don't know about them here in my area, but I don't get out much. Some still have the original supplies in them I hear from time to time. :cup: Also interesting to me is how many people might still have shelters in their yards, whether they built them or not. You couldn't pick up a Popular Science or Mechanics Illustrated back in the 50's/60's that didn't have do-it-yourself plans. I think everyone today should have a bunker in the yard for emergency use and green cold-storage of perishable foods, and possible supplemental cooling of the house. :cup: :phones: Quote
Mercedes Benzene Posted July 16, 2007 Author Report Posted July 16, 2007 I always wanted to have a shelter in my backyard after watching a show on the history channel! I also think I remember a jingle (that I believe was a PA commercial)... "There once was a turtle by the name of Burt, and Burt the Turtle was very alert...." something, something, something, "..duck, and cover. Duck, and cover."Catchy. :cup::phones: Quote
freeztar Posted July 16, 2007 Report Posted July 16, 2007 Yeah, it would be nice to have one. Unfortunately I do not own any land so it's not a possibility for me. If I do have one in the future, it will most likely serve as a hang out when not being used for its designed purpose which hopefully would never happen (Turtle, I'm interested about the colling the house idea. More on this please!). Who wouldn't want to go to poker night in the fallout shelter? :phones: I wonder if London still has their shelters from WW2? They weren't "fallout" shelters obviously, but perhaps they could be retrofitted. Which leads to another relevant topic, what makes a fallout shelter structurally unique from a regular bomb shelter? Is it just mass? I found this site with a quick search. It has some interesting info and some good pictures. I'm dubious about the credibility of the scientific data (because I don't know enough on the subject to spot errors), but I'm sure some of you could help validate/dismiss some of the claims such as:An effective fallout shelter constructed in a basement may reduce your radiation exposure 100-200 fold. Thus, if the initial radiation intensity outside was 500 R/hr (fatal in one hour), the basement shelter occupants might only experience 5 R/hr or even less, which is survivable, as the radiation intensity will be decreasing with every passing hour. For some reason that just doesn't seem right to me. I have no knowledge to make me reason any errors, so I guess it's just gut feeling. Nuclear Blast & Fallout Shelters FAQ - Part III Quote
Mercedes Benzene Posted July 16, 2007 Author Report Posted July 16, 2007 :phones: 5 rem/hr is still an incredible amount. You may survive for a while, but that could seriously mess you up. Anyway, I really want to go fallout shelter hunting soon. The next few weekends are rather busy for me though, so I don't know when I'll get a chance. Rep to the person who can find a website that gives the location of fallout shelters. I've had a hard time finding one thus far. Quote
InfiniteNow Posted July 17, 2007 Report Posted July 17, 2007 Anyway, I really want to go fallout shelter hunting soon. The next few weekends are rather busy for me though, so I don't know when I'll get a chance. Maybe you should become an aquanat. Underwater would sound pretty safe to me after a big nukular boom. :cup: Otherwise, here are a few I found quickly: Nuclear Blast & Fallout Shelters FAQ - Part III (from: Fallout Shelters & Nuclear Civil Defense FAQ) Shelter Systems Package-Bomb Shelter, Nuclear Shelter, Storm Shelter, Hurricane Shelter, Tornado Shelter, Radiation shelter You might also enjoy the following: UNDERGROUND SHELTER RESOURCES - NUCLEAR FALL-OUT SHELTERS Civil Defense Museum-Community Shelter Tours Main Page I wonder if they pay people to be "googlologists?" :phones: Quote
Monomer Posted July 17, 2007 Report Posted July 17, 2007 We don't seem to have fallout shelters in Australia, but I did find these fallout shelter standards. FALLOUT SHELTER is any room, structure, or space designated as such and providing its occupants with protection at a minimum protection factor (PF) of 40 from fallout radiation resulting from a nuclear explosion. We have bomb shelters around the country, some of which are now being used for other purposes. One is a bottle shop at the back of a pub and another is now a guest house, so freeztar, you can have somewhere for your poker buddies to crash. Quote
Turtle Posted July 17, 2007 Report Posted July 17, 2007 Anyway, I really want to go fallout shelter hunting soon. The next few weekends are rather busy for me though, so I don't know when I'll get a chance. Rep to the person who can find a website that gives the location of fallout shelters. I've had a hard time finding one thus far. Consider putting their locations on GoogleEarth; I found a bunch of KML tours there of fallout shelters. People go to the locations & take photographs which they put into the KML. There might even be one there for D.C., I didn't search very far in the list. Here's the link. >> http://bbs.keyhole.com/entrance.php?Cat=0 just put 'fallout shelter' in the search . Yeah, it would be nice to have one. Unfortunately I do not own any land so it's not a possibility for me. If I do have one in the future, it will most likely serve as a hang out when not being used for its designed purpose which hopefully would never happen (Turtle, I'm interested about the colling the house idea. More on this please!). Who wouldn't want to go to poker night in the fallout shelter? I was going to dig one in a rental house yard; I was put off more by the expense than the 'splainin'.:eek: So...the cooling. I would run a coil of metal duct work round about inside the bunker and then connect it to my house to cool it. I think a rule of thumb is that 12 feet deep, the ground is about 54 deg F.?? A disadvantage is that with continous use the ground warms up and the cold storage of food benefit is lost. that's all I got. :cup: :) Quote
Mercedes Benzene Posted July 17, 2007 Author Report Posted July 17, 2007 Consider putting their locations on GoogleEarth; I found a bunch of KML tours there of fallout shelters. People go to the locations & take photographs which they put into the KML. There might even be one there for D.C., I didn't search very far in the list. Here's the link. >> http://bbs.keyhole.com/entrance.php?Cat=0 just put 'fallout shelter' in the search . Thanks very much Turtle! I'll take a look at this tomorrow and see if I can figure out how to work everything. I haven't really used google earth very much. Quote
Mercedes Benzene Posted July 17, 2007 Author Report Posted July 17, 2007 Well I got a lead today!Apparently there's a branch of Bank of America in Rockville that has a fallout shelter. I'll try to make a quick hop down there today. Just for the record, that's OUTSIDE of the beltway. Quote
DougF Posted July 18, 2007 Report Posted July 18, 2007 Nuclear bomb shelter / bomb shelterthe main deference between the two is containment. The Greenbrier: Five Star Fallout Shelter (Nuclear bomb shelter )is one of the best in the US, (Built for Congress I think.)(Note: not used since the public found out about it) GROUND ZERO | The Greenbrier: Five Star Fallout Shelter or the Graceland of Atomic Tourism Photo'sGreenbrier Nuclear bomb shelter congress - Google Image Search Google Image Result for http://www.greenbrierwv.com/images/greenbrier_hotel_1872_for_web.jpgIn the late 1950s the U.S. government once again approached The Greenbrier for assistance' date=' this time in the construction of an Emergency Relocation Center—that is, a bunker or bomb shelter—for the use of the U.S. Congress in case of war. The classified, underground facility was built in conjunction with an above ground addition to the hotel, the West Virginia Wing, between 1959 and 1962. For thirty years the owners of The Greenbrier—the railroad that eventually evolved into today’s CSX Corporation—maintained an agreement with the federal government that in the case of an international crisis the entire resort property would be conveyed to government use, specifically as the emergency location of the legislative branch. Above ground, life proceeded normally as The Greenbrier upgraded the historic cottages, rebuilt The Greenbrier Course under the direction of Jack Nicklaus, added extensive conference facilities, hosted international golf matches (the Ryder Cup and the Solheim Cup) and in short did all the things necessary to stay competitive in an increasingly crowded luxury resort market of the 1980s and 1990s. But because of the agreement with the government, most of the property was closed to residential development until the final closing down of the underground shelter in 1995.[/Quote'] These are some links if you want to build your own.Civil Defense: You Duck and I'll CoverCivil Defense: You Duck and I'll CoverThe return of home emergency shelters takes on a dual-purpose approach by Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM Issue #74 Fallout Shelter, the Greatest Need - Nuclear War Survival Skills FREE BOOK! Also, Potassium Iodide (Iodine) Radiation Protection FAQ, pill sources, price comparisons.To improve your chances of surviving a nuclear attack' date=' your primary need would be an adequate shelter equipped for many days of occupancy. A shelter that affords good protection against fallout radiation and weather would be adequate in more than 95% of the area of the United States. However, even in almost all areas not endangered by blast and fire during a massive nuclear attack, the fallout protection provided by most existing buildings would not be adequate if the winds blew from the wrong direction during the time of fallout deposition.[/Quote'] If the nuke's fall,(1) put your head between your legs and kiss your a** goodbye.(2) thats all nothing Else. Quote
DougF Posted July 18, 2007 Report Posted July 18, 2007 I live in Florida the water table is +- 5 feet below the surface, there are no underground shelters here the only thing we can do is1 (go hide in a school or such)2 (or, see bottom line above) Quote
Mercedes Benzene Posted July 18, 2007 Author Report Posted July 18, 2007 I'm so glad you brought up The Greenbrier. My dad went there for a golf tournament once and I got to go along with him. Touring the bunker was amazing, although they *say* that it would never be used ever again in the case of an emergency... which leads me to speculate: where is it that members of Congress plan to go in such an emergency? There's a lot of them you know. Anyway, I heard that Dick Cheney spent a lot of time at a facility called Raven Rock following 9/11, but I'm sure there are a lot of nifty little places for our politicians to run to. Ahhhh! This stuff makes me so excited. Quote
tmaromine Posted July 18, 2007 Report Posted July 18, 2007 My 1904 elementary had those fallout signs. My school now might even have them, though I have no clue if it has a basement.... In elementary, it is just a basement with big windows in the wall (a yard-ish tall) and some big open stairways... I think we went to using the gym and taping it up to seal it if something happened to one of the nuclear plants around. (Dupont...) And I believe in my current school we just tape up the classrooms.... "As long as Congress (the same people that debate over morals among themselves and don't seem to get them in law sometimes, right ?) is ok, I'm ok !" ;) Quote
Mercedes Benzene Posted July 19, 2007 Author Report Posted July 19, 2007 Tomorrow I'm going shelter-hunting!I will investigate two leads that I have with regards to a shelter in Wheaton, MD and one in Rockville, MD. Time permitting, I will look around old-towne Gaithersburg to see if I can find more! To help in my efforts, I've emailed the Maryland Emergency Management Agency (Part of the the MD Military Dept), The American Civil Defense Association, and multiple local organizations. No responses yet. Within the next couple weeks, I plan to get a National Archives Research Card. I found a bunch of records that I think could help me a lot. It seems that National Archives Record Group 397 may contain lots of print, photos, schematics, maps, etc pertaining to fallout shelters and these are conveniently located at a small Nat. Archive branch in the next county over. I'm very excited. Quote
InfiniteNow Posted July 19, 2007 Report Posted July 19, 2007 Tomorrow I'm going shelter-hunting!I will investigate two leads that I have with regards to a shelter in Wheaton, MD and one in Rockville, MD. Time permitting, I will look around old-towne Gaithersburg to see if I can find more!Gosh, I miss summer break. :hihi: Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.