Doomsday bunker permits now approved to some Southern Calif. residents
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS |
SEP 09, 2013 AT 10:52 AM
The interior of an Atlas Survival shelter made of galvanized corrugated pipe is showcased at a plant in Montebello, Calif. (Damian Dovarganes/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
LOS ANGELES – In the backyard of his remote Southern California home, Bernie Jones is etching an unconventional blueprint: a construction plan to build his underground survival shelter. It won't be the typical, cramped Cold War-era bunker. It will hold 20 people.
Part of a small but vocal group of survivalists in Menifee, some 80 miles east of Los Angeles, Jones, 46, has pushed for the right to build a bunker on his 1-acre property for nearly a year. He wants to be ready for anything, be it natural disaster or a nuclear attack.
"The world is taking a change," he says. "I want to be prepared. I want my family to survive."
Residents of the small city once known for its farming and mining can begin applying for permits to build their subterranean housing this month after the City Council passed a hotly contested ordinance allowing the practice.Sponsored Content by 
Americans have been building underground bunkers for decades, their interest in such shelters waxing and waning with current events. Many dug backyard fallout shelters during the Cold War, fearing a nuclear war.
This next generation of bunkers comes as many survivalists face heightened concerns of a terrorist attack, economic meltdown and for some, even solar flares or meteor showers.
"The bunker is a type of security blanket," says Stephen O'Leary, an expert in apocalyptic and end-of-the-world theories at the University of Southern California. "They are concerned with what's happening in the world on a massive scale."
The move to allow below-ground bunkers has created waves among city officials who are concerned with earthquake faults in the area, safety of police and first responders answering emergency calls and the potential for owners to hide criminal activity, such as drug manufacturing.
Survivalist types spend big money on these state-of-the-art, luxury shelters some fear release toxins in the soil, could suffer structural stability and conceal criminal activity. (Damian Dovarganes/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
"Most people are going to use their bunkers for good reason, but you do have some sick people out there," Deputy Mayor Wallace Edgerton says. "Children have been held in bunkers."
Last February, a 5-year-old boy was held hostage for six days in an Alabama underground bunker, which was rigged with explosive devices.
City Councilman Tom Fuhrman calls the ordinance a victory for property rights, not for those looking to break the law. "Criminal activity isn't going to be stopped by not allowing people to build bunkers," Fuhrman says. "A criminal will find a place to commit crime."
There are signs survival bunkers are making a comeback throughout the country.
Ronald Hubbard, who runs Atlas Survival Shelters near Los Angeles, ships his luxury bunkers out of state. Unlike Cold War-era shelters, he builds ones that are half the length of a basketball court and have a master bedroom, dining nook and a couch to watch a 47-inch flat screen TV.
Hubbard says his phones rang nonstop last December as people attempted to prepare for the end of the world that never came. A 5,125-year cycle in the Mayan calendar passed by, sans disaster.
The Perseid meteors soaring through the sky last month had customers calling him constantly, looking for a way to stay safe in case one hit Earth — even though it's an annual celestial event. He insists his customers are practical people — not radical doomsday preppers.
Galvanized corrugated pipe shelters at a plant in Montebello are seen. Menifee's City Council in Riverside County has approved an ordinance that will allow residents to build underground bunkers on their properties. (Damian Dovarganes/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
"I'm not fear mongering," Hubbard said, standing beside a $65,000 shelter in his warehouse. "Why do we buy insurance? Just in case."
The Vivos shelter networks in Indiana and Kansas offer the equivalent of doomsday timeshares in underground communities in the event of the apocalypse. The network aims to protect its inhabitants for up to a year from myriad catastrophes, including a nuclear disaster.
Preppers — who dedicate their time to ensuring they are ready for a host of deadly scenarios — even have their own reality TV show.
People should spend time preparing for likely disasters instead of Armageddon, said Steve Davis, president of emergency management company All Hands Consulting.
"In California, you have earthquakes. On the East Coast, you have winter storms," Davis says. "People should be focusing on basic preparedness."
Jones, who has six children and seven grandchildren, says he simply wants to protect his loved ones. The contractor has already stocked his home with medical kits and enough food for his family to survive for about three months should a disaster strike.
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"Atlas Bomb Shelter" was started in Sacramento, CA in the 1950's during the Cold War era. To be politically correct in the world that we live in now the name was modernized to "Atlas Survival Shelters" in 2011 because a nuclear bomb is not the only threat we now face in this world. The company now produces it's shelters in California and Texas. Shown below is the 1961 pamphlet that was handed out to home owners during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Notice the letter of Certification from the Department of Defense dated August 14, 1961.
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Pictures below are of a 1961 decomissioned Titan 1 Missile Silo in Nebraska
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| Your basic necessities, comfort and security needs will be meet with many of our designs. Our shelters are built with the highest quality materials including corrugated pipe and bullet-resistant hardened steel. Once you have selected the plot of land that you would like to have your shelter installed, our team will begin designing and manufacturing your shelter. We have several models IN STOCK ready for installation. Give us a call to 1 (855)-4-Bunkers for more information on how to purchase your underground shelter!. ....Thank you, Ron Hubbard. |
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He keeps a bag in his truck at all times, packed with five days' worth of food and water, a raincoat, a thermal and "the world's smallest sleeping bag."
"It's all part of being ready for whatever happens," Jones says.
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