You are living in 60s America. They are teaching you to duck and cover in kindergarten. Your daddy digs a hole in the backyard. Then one day the hole has a cover on it. The next night your parents are sitting in front of the flickering boob. They wake you up and you take your cap gun or barbie doll to the hole in the back yard. They close the cover. The neighbor comes and bangs on the cover and your daddy screams at him while your momma says it's all right kids. The End.

Large ones were built by the Office of Civil Defense. They were in the basement of large buildings. They were fully stocked with cots, geiger counters, blankets, medicine, sugical supplies, generators, light bulbs, etc. For food, the survivors were supposed to live on crackers, hard candy, and water. Some of these are still around. The candy is quite good, I'm eating one right now.

Tips for building your own fallout shelter

The main purpose of a fallout shelter is protect you from the fallout radiation from a nuclear blast. The following amounts of material will protect you from 99% of the radiation:

• 3 feet of water
• 2 feet of packed dirt
• 16 inches of solid brick
• 5 inches of steel
• 3 inches of lead

You'll need one gallon of water per person per day. You'll need to be underground for at least 14 days.

Source: Canadian Department of National Defence, 11 Steps to Survival, 1969.

The U.S. National Library of Medicine is indeed a fallout shelter, created during the Cuban Missile Crisis, not to protect its employees, but to protect the books. In fact, the library is constructed such that if Washington D. C. were ground zero for a nulclear blast, the second floor of the library would cave in. The stacks would remain undamaged, protected by a 100-foot concrete barrier.

The second floor contains all the offices of the personnel department.

Ha. A fitting end to red tape and collective ineptitude. :)

Citizen: We do not want a war. We do not know if there will be a war. However, the Communists possess weapons that could easily destroy the unprepared. It is the civic duty of every man, woman, and child of the United States to be prepared!

Why is Fallout Shelter Needed Everywhere?

CitizenWe have no way of knowing how far our godless enemy will go. In the event of an attack, American retaliatory capabilities will certainly be the primary target. However, every American must understand that our foe is irrational and will stop at nothing to destroy the American way of life.

• He will likely seek to destroy our cities.
• He may target our water supplies.
• He will target precious stores of oil.

Even if he restricts his attack to military facilities, the well being of every man, woman, and child is threatend by radioactive fallout. A ground burst will hurl radioactive dust high into the air, where it will be carried throughout the country. After 24 hours, the entire nation will be covered in radioactive dust. It is thus imperitive that all Patriotic Americans be prepared.

The Lesson is: Our enemy is irrational, thus fallout shelter is needed.

You Can Protect Yourself From Fallout!

Citizen: You can protect yourself from Communist fallout! Enough mass between yourself and the source of radiation will mitigate any threat. The Federal Government recommends the following thicknesses of materials be used for adequate shielding:

• 8 Inches of Concrete Blocks
• 10 Inches of Bricks
• 12 Inches of Earth
• 16 Inches of Books
• 30 Inches of Wood

Yes, Citizen, books can halt the spread of Communism! Be sure to use banned books for the best protection. It's recommended that shelters are 12.5 sqaure feet per person, while they can safely accomodate one person per 10 square feet.

The Federal Government recommends the basement shelter. The basement shelter is a low cost way of keeping Communism out of the home! A basement shelter is a do-it-yourself project that will cost a Citizen betwen $150 and $200 (as of May of 1959) and provide ample protection against Communism.

The Lesson is: Fallout Shelter is an inexpensive and effective defense against Communist Evil.

How to Build a Fallout Shelter.

1. Construct the corner of a wall 7'4" from one wall and 8'4" from the other. Set the blocks in three-eights of an inch of mortar. Leave four air vents in the wall at a height of one block.
2. Construct a wall six blocks high toward the closest wall
3. Construct a wall six blocks high toward the other wall, leaving a gap measuring 2'4".
4. Raise all walls to a height 16" below the roof of the basement
5. Affix wooden beams to the basement walls with 1/2-inch anchor bolts. These beams should be the same height as the cement block walls. These beams will be used to support the ceiling of the shelter.
6. Lay wooden roof beams across the shelter.
7. Nail roof boards to these beams from above in such a manner that they cover the entire shelter.
8. Cover the roof with two layers of cement blocks.

The Lesson: Your civic duty can be easy and fun!

What Should Be In a Shelter?

Citizen: All shelters should have the following:

• Food and Water
• Battery Powered Lighting
• Radio for CONELRAD Broadcasts
• A Blower
• A Geiger Counter
• Warm Clothing and Bedding
• A Bible

The Lesson: A shelter must be well equipped in the event of Communist invasion.

What Should I Do In the Event of an Attack?

Citizen: With the help of this check list, you'll be able to protect yourself and your family in the event of an attack:

1. Be abroad at the time of an attack.
2. Be in a hardend bunker at the time of an attack.
3. Get into a fallout shelter.
4. Get into your basement.
5. Duck and Cover.
6. Die with a smile on your face, as Uncle Sam will be sure to avenge your death.

The Lesson: A job at NORAD could save your life!

The Lesson: The Communist will stop at nothing to destroy the American way of life. Vigilance is the price of freedom.

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_{Sources:
The Family Fallout Shelter MP-15 Office of Civil and Defense Mobilization (available online at: http://www.survivalring.org/FamilyShelter-raf.pdf)
All the information in this node is true to the best of my knowlege.}