The perfect time to prepare for a disaster is when you’re building a home. When you control the design, you can add as many structural features as you want to protect yourself, including a bunker.
Bunkers are extremely useful if an emergency strikes. If a disaster or a violent attack strikes your home, you’ll be grateful you have a room that’s perfectly designed for survival and safety.
A bunker is only as good as the structure that holds it, however, as well as the features it comes with. If you want to make sure your emergency shelter will stand up to a catastrophe, here are six of the most important criteria to cover.
- Position It Strategically in Your Home
Location is essential for the success of the room. Ideally, your bunker will be situated underground, either in your existing basement or to the side of your home. When it’s encased in the dirt, a bunker affords more encompassing protection from outside forces.
It should be very easy to access from your home. In certain scenarios, you might not be able to exit your house, and you’ll need to get into your safe place quickly and easily. If the location is not readily accessible, it’s not going to do you or your family much good in an emergency.
- Make It Impenetrable
The structure should be skillfully designed and constructed so that it can withstand both natural catastrophes and brute force attacks. Many bunkers are built of thick concrete, which is fairly difficult to penetrate.
Other bunkers have steel walls as their primary protection. Many DIY builders start with a cable car or steel crate as the basic form for their shelter because these structures are pretty strong and already built.
In addition, you should make sure it can withstand the elements, especially water. If your region has a flood, your bunker will need to be waterproof. Design the ceiling with an angle to encourage water to flow off it. A waterproof sheet or soil cover can also keep moisture from penetrating the room.
- Include Passageways
A worthwhile portion of a great bunker are passages that lead from your home to the contained space. They should be completely safe, with strong walls and no obstacles. They also should be wide enough for ease of access.
Ideally, the channels will have minimum support poles rather than bulky beams to minimize the risk of tripping when you move down the passage. You never know how fast you’ll have to run when the time comes, and you don’t want anyone to get injured along the way.
- Watch Out for Obstacles
As you’re building the structure, watch that you don’t run into underground water, gas pockets, water pipes, electric circuits, rocks, and any other obstructions that will affect the security and safe function of your bunker.
Though you won’t be able to anticipate everything that may get in your way, you can avoid some issues by contacting the city about plumbing, electrical, and other information about the land under your property.
- Fill It with Survival Items
The goal of any bunker is to keep yourself and loved ones safe and alive for the duration of an emergency. That includes filling it with survival items. Here are some of the things you’ll want:
- A 30-day supply of non-perishable food and water for every member of your family
- Two-way radio
- Flashlight, lantern, candles, and extra batteries
- Blankets and extra clothes
- Tools such as a pocket knife
- First-aid kit with manual
- Portable toilet
- Water purifying kit
- Hunting gear
These are some of the essential items you’ll want to keep in your shelter, but the list is not exhaustive. It can take a while to accumulate these items, however, so it’s best to start early and add the others as time passes and ideas occur to you.
No comments:
Post a Comment