For those of you who missed it, Tom Brokaw anchored Nightly News tonight from Russia. Y2K and its potential impact on nuclear weapons there was discussed, along with the horrid state of the economy, the "Russian Mafia," etc.

Of course the lead story dealt with the Congressional vote to build a missile defense system. During that story, there were some really frightening soundbites. Can't quote the sources, but basically the message was: the U.S. is vulnerable--very very--vulnerable to imminent attack, i.e., within 5 years.

Which brings me to the days of backyard bomb shelters and "duck and cover" educational films shown to 5th graders.

Does anyone remember the government's advice (or lack thereof) to build backyard bomb shelters? Did you know anyone who built one? Do any of them still exist? How many people did that? Were residents of certain parts of the country more likely to do so than others?

I sense a correlation here with what's happening now in terms of "official" get ready now warnings with Y2K? (Of course there was no CNN, Internet, etc., in those days, so it's hard to draw complete comparisons).

In a nutshell--are the people who are taking Y2K seriously the same types of people who built bombshelters? What do you think?

-- FM (vidprof@aol.com), March 18, 1999

Answers

I remember all those yellow "fallout shelter" signs. I hope we have as many "Y2K shelter" signs. <:)=

-- Sysman (y2kboard@yahoo.com), March 18, 1999.

I remember "duck and cover." Sysman, you are just a whippersnapper, remembering the shelters that went up all over in the '60s during the Cuban Crisis. I knew a family in Baton Rouge who had a bomb shelter built in the Fifties. They were a nice, normal family who feared Russian aggression. The husband worked for one of the oil refineries there and KNEW that area would be a likely target.

These were fine, intelligent, salt-of-the-earth folks who saw the possible danger. I never thought they were foolish. I thought they were smart and wished my family had a bomb shelter.

-- just sunshine (lurkinghere@home.com), March 18, 1999.

I had a fall out shelter in 1961. Not one family in a hundred had a shelter. As a society we were not prepared. History does repeat itself. For the past year I have again been preparing and again society is not prepared. This time I will stay prepared regardless of how y2k plays out. We do not live in a world of "happy campers".

-- rb (phxbanks@webtv.net), March 18, 1999.

In 1961, our next door neighbors had an underground shelter buried in their backyard.

It was cylindircal, reminding me of an oil tank railroad car.

They gave my family a guided tour. It was quite small, but everyone could stand up in it. There was some food on a shelf, and a funnel leading out for bathroom purposes. I think the beds were cots which folded up toward the bulkhead, but I can't be sure.

For years I have read countless statements ridiculing these shelters. I don't know how effective they would be, but it has always seemed sensible to me to have one.

-- GA Russell (garussell@russellga.com), March 18, 1999.

Details, fallout shelter construction details, etc?

nuclear war survival skills... http://oism.org/nwss/index.htm

Nuclear War Survival Skills

-- hutnchbcak (quasimodo@belltower.com), March 18, 1999.

no- I didn't know anyone with a backyard bomb shelter. The big public buildings had all of those yellow fallout shelter signs though- but with nothing stored there, how useful?? Also- all those duck and cover air raid drills in school- under the desks, in the hall, etc- abhsoluely useless too i would presume. A root cellar would probably make a good bomb shelter though and serve a good dual purpose. Check out Root Cellaring by Mike and nancy Bubel- several editions available. We unfortunately have high groundwater here...... the septic system has the only high and dry spot.

-- anita (hillsidefarm@drbs.com), March 19, 1999.

The former CEO of my company had a fallout shelter that could house 10 persons comfortably. It had a rotating stock of 3 months food and water which was meticulously maintained and still is. I know this because I was dating a girl whose mother worked on his estate and was responsible for having this maintained. So, I would bet there are alot more of them than you would suspect, especially by the wealthy and well off.

-- Lurker (eye@spy.net), March 19, 1999.

There are perhaps a dozen companies building " Nuclear blast shelters" ( BOMB went out when we dropped the first A-bomb on Japan); difference being, you have to withstand overhead pressure from same, which cylinderical types WILL NOT !! There is only one company making a near perfect nuclear blast shelter; Radius DefenseInc. in Northwood, N.H. . Would probably be useless to contact them now, as they were six months out in orders in December of last year. Know, because I had stock worth 71/2 million in previous company that government put out of business in phony sting operation. New stock won't be issued till next year, as it has taken that long for Walton McCarthy, author of the Principles of Protection (Handbook/Bible used by ALL CD directors in US since 1990) to recover from financial losses suffered from lawyers/gov. His contains; Triple Air Filtration system (remove even nerve gas), light, power (12 deep cycle batteries) toilet,shower . 600-1000 gallon water tank (gravity feed - seperate)sleeping area, food storage below same, defensive capabilities AND all enclosed in fiberglass warrentied 20 years (doesn't sweat like iron/resists blowtorch) AND hatch (only thing that shows 2 inches above ground) will withstand up to NATO ball round . Could easily hold 10 people for over a month, if need be and 12-15, if some were children (for shorter period of time.. assumes NO recharge of batteries). SAD what people with power can do . Eagle

-- Harold Walker (e999eagle@freewwweb.com), March 19, 1999.