Journeying to locations that have been hit by warfare (World War I, World War II, Vietnam war etc.) in the past would expose one individual to wartime memories that are passed down from one generation to another. One will be forced to listen to actual stories of mass migrations from business areas to faraway places while enemy soldiers took over the cities. The most horrifying of all is that these “tall tales” actually came about.
Civilians subjected to war and all the complications of conflict have experienced running to improvised shelters below ground so that the rubbish from dog fights overhead wouldn’t harm them. From these improvised bunkers, they listened to the sounds of powerful bombs being dropped and hoped that the blasts would not reach their fragile below ground temporary shelters. It goes without saying that the bulk of these crude bunkers were shoddily made, usually comprising mattresses placed on top of the other to cushion against the reverberation caused by bombings in nearby zones.
In this period of calm, the thought of constructing a bunker, trench or an air raid shelter has become obsolete in most areas, but survival preparation specialists still recommend checking out the basics of building bomb shelters or safe rooms.
Safe Room
A safe room is often known as a panic room. This is the urban equivalent of an underground bomb shelter, as underground systems meant for defense purposes are not frequently seen in a bustling city area. A safe room is usually fortified with thick walls that can withstand impact from powerful bombs. The walls are created of concrete or metal. The principles of building this type of temporary housing are applied in the production of below ground vaults in bigger financial institutions.
Individuals can hide in these structures when there’s a disaster or when war break out. The main thing that kills people when there is a bomb attack is not the bomb itself but the airborne glass remains and concrete particles from buildings hit by bomb. In this room, people need not worry about getting hit by glass shards and shrapnel.
A secure room is also built in a non-public home to function as a safe hiding place for the family members in case of a robbery or some other dangers. Other furnishings in this room are communications equipment for contacting law enforcement, various beddings to supply warmth just in case the electrical energy is cut off, a source of fresh water, a toilet and a well-stocked medicine kit.
Fortified Basements
A basement can double as bomb temporary shelters just in case a crisis hits a major city. The normal basement is not good enough for safeguarding the inhabitants due to the vulnerabilities of thin walls and absence of ventilation. More often than not, a major threat like fire or an volcanic activity will turn an average basement into a deadly trap instead of a secure place where people can stay as the crisis blows over. Construction engineers should still look into fortification alternate options and allot enough budget for constructing a basement with thicker walls and air vents even in ordinary urban homes.
