Every family needs one of these

[washman]

I actually found the booklet on archive.org too.

But this is hilarious even though Walt is as serious as they come!

I think they left out a bunch of stuff.

Where would the washer and dryer go?

Your lawnmower? After all, once all that nasty radiation has passed, there will be grass to mow!

I think I will get right to work on one of these............ooops my home is slab-on-grade. Perhaps I can build one underground?

http://https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8fJ2SV27pA

 

[gansky1]

I've only seen a few over the years, most are in basements here.

A couple of years ago, some friends bought a house built in the 1950's that had a fairly elaborate fallout shelter below the original basement and under the front yard. A true bunker, it's block walls and concrete ceiling/roof are pretty impressive. A low-voltage lighting system, ventilation and emergency escape tunnel would make any "prepper" proud. A creepy pit-latrine (what is that down there?) seems to make up the sanitary plan. It would make a great theme party venue now.

 

[lordkenmore]

I didn't want the whole video--rushed for time--but did watch a chunk, and skimmed through later parts. Interesting, although the bigger interest was frankly the masonry work. But the first part certainly was a good view of a past time. And one that I can sort of remember--I grew up in the 80s, so I don't remember when a fallout shelter was the thing to build--but I certainly remember the fear of the USSR potentially bombing us off the map.

I was a bit amused by the suggestions of the shelter being useful for other jobs. Yes, the shelter would be such a pleasant, elegant little guest room to put Aunt Myrtle when she comes to town...

I recall seeing BLAST FROM THE PAST, a movie about a family that moves into their shelter, thinking nuclear war has hit...and then stays there for decades. Fianlly, they send their son out into a world he does not know for (IIRC) supplies.

Interestingly, there is a chance--and I emphasize CHANCE--that my grandparents had a house in MN with fallout shelter. The house is up for sale, and some info was shared with me. Amongst other amenities, it indicates a "safe room" in the basement. I gather these are sometimes built for places with deadly weather. But the photo I saw made me think "fall out shelter." I'll be having to ask about that room. I don't honestly remember it, but it's been years since I was in that basement. And even if I ever saw it, it might have seemed like just another basement room.

 

[lordkenmore]

It also occurs to me that a fall out shelter might not be a bad idea if Donald Trump wins... I can easily imagine him saying something that will have nuclear bombs flung at us from several different countries at once!

 

[norgeway]

The house

I grew up in had a fallout shelter, so does my Aunt and Uncles house built in 76, I remember seeing him pour molten lead all over the top before covering it up with his Case bulldozer, he said it was a radiation shield, where he got all that lead I don't know..LOL

 

[ea56]

I went to Catholic school in Berkeley, Calif. from the 2nd thru 6th grades. During the Cuban Missile Crisis I was 11 yrs. old and in the 6th grade. I recall during the height of the crisis Sister Irene Marie telling us all that if there was a nuclear attack we would all have to stay at school until it was safe again, like it would ever be safe again after nuclear war! And that maybe we would see our parents again. Needless to say this was really scary.

The school had K thru 8 with at least 50 students in each grade(and the nuns had complete control over these 50 plus classes all by themselves). We had an enormous basement that was our cafeteria. The school sent each of us home with an mimeographed (remember those) list of items that we each needed to bring to school for our air raid shelter kit. I recall that we each had to bring:
1 pillow, 2 blankets, 2 empty gallon Clorox bottles to store drinking water, powdered milk, toilet paper, plastic bags for human waste and various canned foods. These items were all kept in a bundle with our names on them. When there was an air raid drill we all orderly assembled in the basement and ducked and covered in front of our bundles. I seriously thought that we would be safe in the basement.

Because of this I went about setting up an air raid shelter in our garage at home and my parents let me do this, even though I'm pretty sure they knew it was futile. I also recall that my parents always kept at least 1/2 tank of gas in each car with the thought that should there be an attack we would all pile into the cars and head for a "safe place", wherever the hell that might have been. My memory of this time was that it was way scary for a little kid.
Eddie[this post was last edited: 8/16/2016-03:06]

 

[henene4]

Fallout Shelter

Sadly, by the 80s, most fallout shelters would have been 99% useless because they'd be either within a direct blast zone or MAD would kick in.

Same would most likely be still true today.

We had several targets of military interest here around Würzburg. Several military bases, a nuclear power plant about 40km away.
In case of nuclear war, there would be at least 4 or up to 6 detonations within a 50km radius from my house. The closest, however, would be about 12km air distance and would most likely have a yield of 500kt or lower. As long as I was close to home, I would have a good chance of survival.
On fallout, I might get lucky in such a case. The next big main target in our most common wind direction would be Frankfurt.

Don't ask me why I know this, I just got to bored one day.

 

[iheartmaytag]

We owned a house that was built in '53 that had a fallout shelter under the patio I the back yard.  It made sense in '53 as Wichita was on the list as #1 target for first strike. 

 

The previous owners used it as a place to make their wine,  it also served well as a storm shelter.

 

[vacerator]

Todays nukes

are much more powerfull than ones back then.
I'm not a prepper. Do I really want to be left alive with most others gone?
Secluded under ground like the Mathias followers in the Omega man film?

 

[firedome]

Our house, a ranch built in 1955...

has a fallout shelter in the basement, added in 1961. Block walls and ceiling, water supply, otherwise unfurnished. We use it for storing canned goods from the garden, metal ammo boxes (loaded), and important docs and pics, as it'd easily survive a house fire and/or collapse.

 

[blackstone]

There must be a lot of "fallout shelters" under the border from Tijuana.

 

[circlew]

Anyone else here think that "Walt" is played by Burt Mustin, who was Gus the fireman on "Leave it to Beaver"? To me, he sure looks and sounds like him.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c66/ravenob1/GUS.png

 

[ilovewindex]

Fall out shelter

I would love a shelter like that, esp for me at night... I would actually sleep...

I miss having a basment here in oregon and the looks of the pictures Gansky posted, look so awesome to me.... I'd drywall it in of course and put carpet down and retro fit one of those ventalation systems in

OMg, heaven.... I could be so comfy

http://www.risingsbunkers.com/nbc-air-filtration-systems/

 

[tolivac]

Another ting on the fallout shelters-yes,weapons are more powerful today than what they were-and can be more accurately guided to their targets.So,if you hide in your shelter-esp if its underground-you may end up being BURIED in it!Areas that are military bases or missile silo areas are those that would be targeted-and Federal areas--GOODBUY DC!!!!Just an event we hope NEVER happens!Just takes one madman to push their buttons-than everyone else pushes theirs!

 

[henene4]

Actually, I think these would make way more sense in the context of a Fukushima style event or even a nuclear terrorist attack.

Fun fact, it is possible to tell whether a nuclear explosion might have been a terroristic act or a national attack.
If bombs are detonated above ground, elevated so far that the instant fire ball does not reach the ground, less earth is vaporized, thus less fall out is created, thus the cloud looks way cleaner.

So if you see a white mushroom cloud, well, good bye earth!

 

[vacerator]

They all

have been exploded above ground thus far. Not less fall out. It falls out from the explosion.
Did the Fukushima reactor melt down? When the reactor core hits ground water, the radioactive vapor rises up in the atmosphere. That is the fall out then. "China Syndrome" Same if the ocean water flooded it.
It almost happened right her in 1965. The Enrico Fermi 1 nuclear power plant in Monroe Michigan's reactor suffered an overheating caused by a cooling fin which dislodged inside a cooling line, and blocked flow. Core meltdown was only averted by minutes. That reactor, built by Babcock and Wilcox has been encased inside a lead and concrete tomb.
Then Pennsylvania had the Three Mile Island event in 1976. Cattle died from the fall out.
Late great planet earth?

 

[frigilux]

Ah yes; the days of 'Duck and Cover' in first grade at Immaculate Conception Catholic School. These days I'm more worried about a high-altitude nuclear EMP knocking out most of the country's grid and disabling nearly anything that runs by electricity or battery. Although someone told me wristwatches may survive as they are too small to be affected by the Big Bad Pulse. All those Pokemon Go addicts are gonna freak, though.


[this post was last edited: 8/17/2016-07:38]

 

[vacerator]

EMP;

Yeah, that'd be really horrible, but only things that are controlled by electronics or computers will not function. A vehicle with old breaker points and condensor ignition will run. Maybe things shielded in lead also?

 

[circlew]

Fallout shelters I remember

The elementary school I attended (Fall '60 - Spring '64) had the shelter in the basement. It was reached from the hall by going through double doors into a storage room. Right inside that room was another door that led down half a flight of stairs to a landing, then on down to the basement. I remember this basement having rows of round concrete columns that flared out at the top, like in a factory. The floor above must have been at least a foot thick of reinforced concrete. I was later told that this basement could support a five story building, though the school only had one floor above ground. It was built in '52.

The other one I remember was at the downtown Shillito's store. Right inside one of the entrances of the seven-story 1937 building was a stairwell leading down to the basement & sub-basement levels. There was a civil defense fallout shelter sign by these stairs. This building is also a heavy reinforced concrete structure, like the school basement. The signs were still there when I worked there in the early 80's.

 

[henene4]

Just remebered

Close to my favorite restaurant in the city, there is a parking garage that goes 3 storys below ground.

One day, I recognized the air ventalation systems and the massive about 2 feet thick doors seperating the first from the second level as well as several inch thick steel doors on all entrances. Pretty sure that thing was a shelter, mind you it's 5 minutes away from the city hall and only about 500m from the city center.

Saw several simmilar things in several citys. Not sure if there were simmilar concepts in the US.