Lets say you have a shelter that serves as either a storm shelter or survival shelter (for this question it really doesn't matter) but to stop any questions, for the survival aspect its more of a 72 hour type thing. Specs on such hypothetical structure are:
-Built for short-term use (Concrete or Steel).
-Lets say it has either been installed in your garage or basement.
-Dimensions are whatever you want.
-Has electric and/or emergency power installed.
-You can have either benches or wall beds installed.
-Has forced ventilation.
-Lets say it's for a typical family of 4 or 5 (Husband, Wife, Kids).
Now outside the normal things such as sanitation, water and food what would you stock it with?
Since you guys are the site experts, what I'm looking for are the small things that other companies leave out when they sell you a unit. Things like medical kits, emergency hydraulic jack to get the door open, etc. Think outside the envelope so to speak and give me some ideas.
Plenty of hygiene articles, esp. for female members. It means a HELL of a lot for a woman of any age to get clean!
One survival writer tried a 48-hour test of his survival plans. He called it off after 5-6 hours because there was no toilet available!
Your family will be under stress. Be sure to include lots of entertainment: cards, board games, etc.
Do you have reliable communications? Can you call your neighbors, family, friends, etc.to let them know you are OK? Can they call you? Cell phones are NOT the panacea people think they are. Think about investing in reliable comms,i.e. visit the
HAM RADIO FORUM.
Having ham radio will help in other ways, too: hams are frequently involved in local disaster plans, and could be an information conduit for your peace of mind.
Have lots of "comfort food," especially for the young ones. This will keep their stress levels down.
Have a contingency for taking care of close neighbors and/or family who show up. It WILL happen.
Are you going to build a storm shelter where the storm can drop your house on top of it so you can't get out? How about building your shtf shelter where the bad guys can burn your house down over it, cutting off your supply of air?
I would want two entrances. A way to see through the entrances.
No I'm not building a shelter. I've been asked to retrofit a couple of shelters in my area and they left everything up to me.
