Possible out comes from actions of our enemies.

It has been awhile since I have posted. Actually three years, but it is now time to start again. Since I have been out of the loop the world has changed a whole lot. I'm seeing things through a slightly different prism. I am going to modify this blog from strictly bunker, to overall survival. I still feel that  bunkers are a great way to go, but I know that a lot of people are in the same situation that I am in and the cost of the kind of bunkers I have listed in the past, is above most of our pay scale. So, we will look at different ways to survive during SHTF situations.

I will start with what is going on in our world today. There is so much going on. I think one of the biggest is the Iran deal. Our government has made it possible for an open enemy of the United States of America and other free thinking countries, to have access to nuclear weapons, not just weapons now they will buy ICBM's from Russia. We know that an ICBM is not needed to strike Israel, Iran already has missiles that can reach that far. But, they need these missiles to reach Europe, Australia, America, any where in the world they want. Now, will they use them directly on us? I doubt it, they will funnel the missile to one of the other terrorist groups they support and they will use it. They can fire them from a ship, such as this one. A modified

                                 

 container ship could easily get into territorial waters of the U.S. and deploy a nuclear missile, our reaction time would be enough to stop it. Then if the ship is destroyed we may not be able to asses blame, it may take years to prove that Iran did it, in the mean time what do you do? If it is exploded in the atmosphere, we will have the emp effect, most of the power in the United States will be down, if not all.

If the power goes out then you can't pump gas, if you can't pump the gas then traffic comes to a stop.

If automobiles and trucks can't run because of no fuel, then no products can be shipped to stores.

You have to be prepared, the stores in general only have 72 hours worth of food. And if you think the government are going to bail you out, you are ignorant. They barely could help New Orleans after Katrina.

What do you think it will be like if half or the whole of the United States is without power? I will tell you, the president will call for martial law, if not directly he will let the governors do it.

One missile, an EMP and our whole world could changed, are you prepared to fight to feed and protect your family?

Or are you sheep, dependent on the government and willing to be held in interment camps in order to survive?

Should you get a survival bunker?

Good Evening, I would like to say thanks to the readers I have been getting from the States and around the world. Also, if any of you that are in other countries have any information you would like to share on the blog, say, how  preppers and bunker builders are doing it in y'alls country, please post. I would love it. Also, I need a good vodka recipe. Well here we go.


I want you to think about why you might need a survivalist bunker? Is  it a good investment? How much supplies should you stock? Say stock, not hoard, because during a time of civil unrest, or calamity, the government can have you arrested and jailed for up to one year for hoarding. So, stock up. What is having a BOL,(bug out location) worth to you? I try and explain it as like having auto insurance. Why do you need auto insurance? In case you have a wreck, so you pay for insurance every month, just in case. Having a survivalist bunker and a survivalist mentality is not a bad thing, it's a smart thing. If you never need it, it will be an investment for your families future. Now, what kind of civil unrest or calamity might cause you to need a survival bunker? I guess there are many different scenarios that might take place, to cause you to need one. Some people talk about the super caldera erupting or hyper inflation. But, I think the real life scenarios that might take place would be  a solar storm.

Solar storm

 Right now the sun is in a solar maximum. This means that the sun is extremely active and every time it ejects radiation, we have a chance of our satellites being destroyed, or the power grid and most machines shutting down. In that case it might take years to fix the power grid and every thing else that is affected. The worst case is any one not in a protected spot, can be killed by the radiation, like the proverbial poodle in the microwave. If you are in your bunker, you will be protected from this radiation. It acts like a Faraday cage, and once the storm is over, you will be able to live out of the bunker, and  be able to stay clear of the civil unrest in the cities. Two other scenarios that worry me are, the possibility of a attack by terrorist on our main ports around the US and our dams and bridges. This could be easily done by setting off small nukes in each of our largest ports, and the same with the bridges and dams. If our ports are shut down, then no goods can flow in or out of the country.

(According to the most current statistics I was able to find, I determined the four top US seaports to be: New York City, New York; Boston, Massachusetts; Houston, Texas; Los Angeles, California. The next six largest seaports are: New Orleans, Louisiana; Baltimore, Maryland; San Francisco, California; San Diego, California; Savannah, Georgia; Miami, Florida. Portland, Maine ranks 11th and Seattle, Washington ranks 13th.)

This will damage the economy and effect the water supply as well as transportation through out the country. I guess they could hit all power plants as well, coal fired, nuclear and gas. This would be harder than doing it through the inter net, by cyber attack, but it could be done. The last would be a nuclear attack on all major cities in the US. But not by ICBMs, but by individuals carrying suit case nukes and dirty bombs. Every one of these scenarios can cause a massive break down in our civil society, no matter what country you live in. Once this break down occurs, then marshal law will take effect. When that happens, your rights go out the window. You can be arrested for being out after dark, having food supplies hidden in your home, they could confiscate your weapons for "the grater good", just like they did after Katrina, and this could be just the beginning. Now, if you have a good BOL, a good support group, and a years worth of supplies for you and all that will be bunkerd with you, you will have a chance. My self, I will use the bunker as a place to stay out of the cities and a place to hunt and forage for food, until, hopefully the country starts to get back together. Remember, unless it is a nuclear attack, you don't have to stay under ground 24/7.  And most important of all remember, you are nine meals away from starvation. Bunker, prep, and arm you and your family. Then get a good network of people you can trust, and remember, that is not always friends and family.

How will you survive?

One more thing, take time to watch the YouTube links I have posted,.They deal with cyber attacks, it is sobering. Cyber attacks on the power grid are real, and dangerous. Thanks

First I would like to apologize to the readers not in the United States, I have not had a chance to review any bunkers built out side of this country. I would think, that they would be similar in construction. So,  I have five companies that I will do a quick review over. I have added each companies web address above the sample picture of their product. First, all of the different bunker designs come furnished, they all come with a filtration system, they have sleeping quarters, kitchens, bunks or beds. Really, I cant find much different as far as the equipment that come with the original price, for each bunker. And as far as quality, it seems that they are all made of durable material, that has been well designed and tested. I think that it comes down to what you want. If you have the money to buy one, it seems that the Hardened Structures and North West Shelter System might be the higher cost. I figure it is because they are made on site.

Hardened Structures =Underground Shelter Systems – concrete structures, tube style structures. Virginia, http://www.hardenedstructures.com/genesisseries.php

North West Shelter System =Disaster Bunkers - concrete structures, box style structures. Idaho, http://www.northwestsheltersystems.com/process.php

The Rising S Company and Deep Earth Bunkers produce their bunkers off site in their warehouses. They are similar in design and are made from welding steal together to make the structure.



Rising S Company = Steel Storm Shelters – metal bunkers, built from scratch, similar to containers. Texas,  http://www.risingscompany.com/oil.aspx

Deep Earth Bunkers = Steel Storm Shelters – metal bunkers, built from scratch, similar to containers. Texas, http://www.deepearthbunker.com/dealers.html

The Utah Shelter Systems and Atlas Survival Shelters use corrugated drainage pipe as a raw material. They cap off the ends add doors, then use smaller corrugated pipe to make the exits. It is a smart idea and simple to outfit, and it gives a lot of interior versatility.



Utah Shelter Systems = Corrugated drainage pipe. Utah

http://utahsheltersystems.com/shelters_customizing.php

Atlas Survival Shelters = Corrugated drainage pipe. California

http://www.atlassurvivalshelters.com/

Over all it depends on what you want and can afford. I have seen bunkers from over a million dollars to this small Atlas above for $29,900. The nice thing is that they come ready to bury, you don't have to do much work. But, I think you could still do one your self, using a container or a corrugated pipe, and reinforce it and equip it cheaper than a pre-fab one. Anyway, out of these companies I think I would use the Rising S Company, based on the location of the company to my land. The one that I like the best is the Utah Shelter System, based on the simplicity of the design. But, they are  far from home. Over all the five companies have great products and I am glad to see we have more than one to choose from.

Good afternoon preppers, I was thinking of how to start this segment on pre-made bunkers and, I have decided to change gears and look at some homemade bunkers first. So, here we go. If you look to the right side of my blog, I have four videos from youtube on using shipping containers for beginning bunker structures.

I want to start with video two, second from the top. ( I suggest if you are interested in this topic you should watch the videos.), This video is from a great site that shows how to make primary homes, second vacation home, hunting cabin or straight up bug out location from shipping containers. http://shipping-container-homes.org/  I love this site, it has given me so many good ideas and plans, however, I do not agree with the way the spokesperson gives reasons to not use shipping containers for underground bunkers. He uses examples of rust, structural weakness under the load of earth encapsulating it. These are ligament concerns, but that doesn't mean it cannot be done. I would say to stop the chance of the container rusting over the years; you would paint the container with a rust proof paint, or even a rhino liner type material. I understand you could have a problem with treating the bottom, but remember that sea going containers are already treated for corrosion. To extend the life of the bottom of the container,  lay  around six inches of pee gravel down for the base of the container. This should give sufficient drainage under the bunker to keep it from standing in water. As far as for the structure its self, I do agree that the top and sides are too week to handle the pressure of the earth that will be pressing against them. But, there are ways to correct this inferiority in design. You could weld structural supports on the out sides of the container to build up the strength of the container, or build a rib type type structure, which you will see in the first video, on the inside of the container to help compensate for the load, on the sides of the container. The last idea, in the third video, is to dig the hole, lay down the pee gravel, set the untreated container in the hole, then build a concrete roof over the whole thing cocooning the container in the ground, this is a great idea,  but only ideal for a one container setup. These would be the answers I would use to counter my friend in video two.

In the first video, which is the multiple containers welded together  then buried, is one of my favorite designs. The bunker builder did good welding the three containers together, and it seems that they did paint the outside of the structure, but I am not sure about the bottom, it didn't seem that they laid down any base material to keep water from pooling under the structure. As far as connecting the containers together, I think the builder should have welded  the passageways bulkheads together and welded any gap or hole no mater how small, before putting the dirt over the structure. Since they did not do this, they had to come back and put a ton of great stuff and caulking, to hopefully stop leaks. I like the way that they beefed up the walls inside the structure, in order to keep the walls and ceiling from caving in. This also gives them places for electric receptacles, hang lights and such. I also give them thumbs up on having the escape tunnel in the back of the bunker. This will allow them to  have an alternative exit to evacuate  in case of a fire in the bunker, or if attacked at the main entrance. One person can exit through the escape tunnel, surprise the attacker and capture him, or if need kill him or them. The only thing that I did not see, was how they plan to camouflage the main entrance. But over all I was impressed with the creativity of the builder, it gave me great ideas.

The third video was a ingenious idea, dig the hole, lay down the bed of pee gravel, set a 20 ft. container in it, build concrete steps down to it, then build a ceiling over the whole thing and pour concrete over that. Once set come back and plumb and wire the whole container. Later put dirt on top of the slab then  plant grass and shrubs. I know I simplified the building of this container, but if you watched the video, you will get the gist of the total project. The only defence I would make is, I would have made the hole bigger and longer in order to have easy access to all sides of the structure and I would have like to see a well dropped into the hole with a hand pump installed. But over all this build was a very cool one.

The fourth and final video is about a container home above ground. It can be used as a good bol, it is an easy way to get off of the grid fairly cheap. The guy just built a peer and beam type of foundation, which makes it easy to run plumbing or wiring under it. But, it would allow cold air under the structure in the winter which will keep it colder inside unless you were to insulate the floors, walls and ceiling. He didn't have to do this though because he is in Australia.

I think I have addressed some of the pros and cons of using shipping containers as in ground bunkers and and a short spot on above the ground use. I like them all;  in the ground you get better insulation, there is less need for heating or cooling, because the temperature will stay some what constant from around 80deg to 65deg in the summer from 65deg to 45deg in the dead of winter and great in between. You also have the ability to be off the grid and be hidden from site. The above the ground will have to be cooled and heated during the year, but they can be set up quick and you can have as many designs as you would like. And remember that they are designed to be stacked, so you could build a full in closed perimeter and then build up by stacking, while in the middle of the structure, you can have a court yard with a garden area and well house, and be off the grid, the down side they can see you. Still not a bad idea and easier than burying the whole thing. It is up to you.

In the coming weeks I plan on covering different types of bunker designs that I have come across. I will cover the manufacturing, cost, how they are equipped, and if they are really worth it. I will also delve into how to go about saving some money by making your own. Note, the ideas that I come up with wont be my original ideas. I will take from others and see if I can make improvements on them and lower the production cost. This should be a fun endeavor, at least for me.

Here we go, I am learning this thing, but slow. I am going to set up a follow button on my site, but I am slow in figuring out how to do this. Once the blog is set up properly I will be more active. Once again, any one who wants to add info please do.

Here is another camping stove that is portable, it works similar too one of the other stoves that I posted. It is a bit bigger and it cost more, yet still portable . It would be good for a camp site that is more semi permanent.

http://deadwoodstove.com/

Here is the vidio link, http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=of-VVX85go4