Science question about underground survival.

[Tonks]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "potioncat" 
<willsonkmom at ...> wrote:
>
> Potioncat:
> Well, there's preparing for short-term natural disasters and 
there's preparing for man-made disasters. It sounds like you're 
thinking of the latter. From my point of view, which could be wrong, 
a safe room would be a place in your home that would be safest in 
the case of an emergency. A bomb shelter would a place built to 
protect the residents from hostile action.
> 
> Did the FEMA web site address bomb shelters? "I'm from the 
government and I'm here to help" is an old joke, but I'd want to 
know exactly  what I wanted before I trusted a builder to tell me 
what I needed.
> 
> I wonder how you would know when to come out of a personal bomb 
> shelter? What if the bomb shelter was in your basement and the 
house fell down on top of it. How would you get out?
> 
> Not making a point, just curious.
> 
> Also thinking, that based on what members have suggested, is it 
> possible the pyramids were safe rooms? They had the sorts of items 
> we've considered--food, companionship, security. 


Tonks:
Pyramids as safe rooms is a very interesting point. 

I have always wondered about the idea of going into the basement for 
a tornado too. I would like to know what you would do if the house 
fell in and you were trapped there. I have had that concern too.

What I am talking about when I say a 'safe room' is what FEMA is 
advising builders to put in all new houses, at least in Michigan. 
(And, no it was not a builder who told me.) After listening to 
people on this list, I now realize that it might not be the same 
advice in all parts of the country. I have been trying to avoid 
saying how I came to have this information. There has been a lot of 
discussion about what to do in the event of a dirty bomb or some 
other terroist attack. And there are people in my area, richer than 
me, who have these room in their basements. I have not seen one yet, 
but I understand that they have a special air filtration system and 
a vault like, air tight door. The people who have them are planning 
to use them for a nuke attack. Personally I don't want to go into a 
basement unless I have some other people with me. If I am going to 
die, I want to be with friends. And I do NOT want to be in some 
government community shelter!! We all saw what a nightmare that was 
with Katrina.

Tonks_op