This is an As Told To essay based on a conversation with Josh Jordan, a Texas-based engineer who founded Houston Bomb Shelter, which constructs private emergency shelters. It has been edited for length and clarity.
The danger of nuclear war has been around for almost 100 years, but recently renewed concern is driving a new interest in bomb shelters. So, I’m just trying to fill a need in that marketplace.
We offer a variety of different shelter structures. The above-ground option is the cheapest solution because it involves the least invasive construction techniques.
The one that I think is the best is a partially submerged solution. We’ll dig out about three or four feet in someone’s backyard, for example, and then put in a structure that is maybe three or four feet above the ground.
Of course, the ultimate option is a fully submerged solution, but those are a lot more expensive.
Shelters are not as romantic as in the movies. They are normally about 10 feet wide and 20 to 40 feet long. The majority of my clients are upper middle class, and they say, “Well, instead of getting the nicest Mercedes, I could use the extra $40,000 on a solution that could save my family’s life.” They rationalize it that way.
I’ve had some people contact me for larger shelters, but those are executive, C-suite-level people. They’re not household names, but you look them up and find they’re the CEO or COO of a company. Their budget is much higher. They don’t seem to mind spending well into six figures.
Some clients don’t want to tell their neighbors because they’re nosy. They don’t want to tell their homeowners association because then everyone’s going to want to go there in case of an emergency. They think, “They’re my neighbor, why wouldn’t they open up their vault door for me? I’ve been their neighbor for 15 years.” It’s a sensitive topic for people.
So discretion is a requirement for our construction projects. We have a few different fake magnetic company decals to put on the side of the trucks, like pool guys or solar installers. Sometimes I offer to put up a big construction tent. We also disguise the shelter itself. Sometimes it looks like a shed or a doghouse. I like to make a trellis because that will keep most people from paying attention to it.
People aren’t going to be staying in these things for years, or decades, or months, even. After a week, the radioactivity level drops substantially, and moving around is considered safer. After three weeks, there’s hardly any remnants, and it’s relatively safe.
There are two parts of a nuclear blast that are a concern. The initial blast has high-velocity winds and heat. A lot of people would die from that without shelter.
Then, generally speaking, there are between 30 minutes and 75 minutes before fallout starts. Fallout is just the dust that settles from the explosion, but radioactive particles attach to that dust. It makes this dirty snow that sort of seems like ash. That’s what is going to be dangerous for the next three weeks.
If people survive that first blast, that’s great. Then they have one to three weeks where they really need to be sheltered in place and not go anywhere. And that is the ultimate goal of the service that we provide: a safe place for people and their loved ones.
