Fallout shelter latrine?, page 2

posted by apc
Personally I see the likelihood of a full-scale nuclear exchange to be remote. In such an event, a simple fallout shelter won't do much. The basement will have to provide whatever protection possible from a blast.

However I think small, simple, and equipped fallout shelters are not a bad idea at all with respect to the current environment. I'm of the opinion there's a good chance of an atom-splitting "discussion" in the not-too-distant future.

ONLY the United States will perform a “full scale nuclear exchange.” Now that Herr Oberfuhrer Rumsfeld is gone and VP Cheney almost gone, the West of the Pecos wild card Bush43 may not be able to pull the trigger. I hope the hand picked sycophants around him would at last show some courage and old fashioned gumption. Put Bush43 in a straightjacket, VP Cheney in protective custody and call Nancy Pelosi to take over. “Free at last, thank God A’mighty, Free at Last!”

I agree that preparedness for atmospheric calamities, earthquakes and volcanoes is good business. I had the good fortune to work with the Civil Defense effort back in the late 1950s. 1958-1959 to be specific. All shelter plans were based on 14 days in the shelter. In very large shelter populations, it was admitted that after 72 hours discipline would become crucial. Plans were made but held in confidence on restraining non-conformists. Louisville - my hometown - had a large underground quarry. It is now used by commercial interests as a constant temp - 58 degrees - storage facility. It was stocked to handle 100,000 people. Hospitals, lock-ups and all.

One topic that never got much but passing attention was what to do when the prepared man is besieged by his unprepared neighbors. Then as now we avoided the hard issues. By the 2nd day people will be banging on your door wanting in or at least, to have water and food. You know the old adage, you die in 3 days without water, 7 days without food. So, while a .22 is good for killing rats, it will take an AK47 to secure your shelter from your fellow man.

I thought about it a lot back then, about going into a shelter in case we had really sustained a nuclear attack. I decided for myself, I’d rather die above the ground in the sunshine than die in a hole in the ground in the dark. So I’ve never put any stock into shelters, although I do keep water on hand and a good supply of canned goods for hurricanes.

posted by citizen smith
Make a *Bang* with your wizz! In a mass-X scenario where you would be dependent on obtaining all your own essentials to survival . .

In ‘97 or ‘98, Jacksonville FL attempted a mass evacuation to avoid an oncoming hurricane. The mayor gave the Evac Order but without instructions. Not that anyone would have obeyed even a simple plan. For example, drivers with last name beginning with “A” leave now, “B’s” in 30 minutes, and so on. In much less than 1 hour, all outbound roads were JAMMED into parking lots. It took 2 days to unclog the roads.

Mass-X fans were not discouraged. They proceeded to have FL and GA install traffic stopping gates on ALL interstate ramps for 50 miles around. At no small expense to taxpayers. Now, on our next mass-X attempt, all interstates will be ALL lanes out of town! I predict in less than 1 hour, all roads will be JAMMED into parking lots. There is NO road that can accept the sudden unrestrained influx of 10s of 1000s of cars. And no one is going to wait his turn. Mass-X is not a planner’s dream, it is a citizen’s nightmare! Your real choice is to die on the road or to die at home.

. . urine-storage would provide an invaluable source of drinking water if fed into an evaporation-distiller system. The resultant nitrate-rich by-products left in the distiller after all the water has been recycled can be used not only as a fertilizer for crops at a time when commercial sources are no longer available, but also as an essential ingredient for the manufacture salt peter to make crude gunpowder!

Back when countries were making black powder out of urine, they used horses mostly, of which there were 1000s, but in any case, you could not make a .22 cartridge out of what you’d get in a week hiding in the basement. And you sure could not grow tomatoes on it. But you could drink it, if purified.

[edit on 10/8/2007 by donwhite]