How Does a Bomb Shelter Work?
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Types
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Not all bomb shelters protect against a nuclear explosion. Before talk of nuclear bombs, shelters protected against simple air-strikes. Cellars, basements, tunnels and even underground subway stations would suffice. Today, families generally focus on fall-out shelters which can help them survive a nuclear attack.
Design
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While each bomb shelter may have a different design, they all work the same way. Fallout shelters are made from thick materials to shield people from debris and the radioactive material created from a nuclear blast. They consist of a couple of inches of concrete and a thin layer of lead. The shelters are often buried underground because the dirt also provides another layer of protection. Most commercial shelters are usually large enough to accommodate four people. Some shelters include toilets, showers and bedrooms.
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Insulation
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Fallout shelters are also buried to provide thermal insulation, keeping people inside relatively cool. Families may have to stay inside the shelter for an extended period of time. For simple air strikes, the shelter will protect families from blasts. Once the air strikes are over, the family can leave the shelter. It's the concrete that has protected them from bombs or gunfire.
Nuclear Blasts
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For nuclear blasts, families will have to stay in shelters longer. Even people who were not close to the blast will have to take cover because of radioactive fallout. It takes about two weeks before the radiation looses its intensity. Nuclear blasts cause mushroom clouds which vaporize dirt along with radioactive materials. These particles eventually travel back to earth, causing nuclear hazards for hundreds of miles. The only protection is distance from the blast, or shielding from the blast. The thick walls of concrete means bomb shelters will shield families from radioactive fallout. People will breathe naturally inside the fallout shelter through vents or windows.
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