August 09, 1994
Currently listening to: Minutes to Midnight - Midnight Oil
And we're off to the races! I’ve made some tangible progress this month, and I’ve got better plans to solve some trickier problems.
Since the last entry, I’ve installed shelves and started stocking food and water. The biggest challenge for this was determining how much shelf space I needed to install. To figure that out, I decided to calculate how much of each supply I would need to hit the six month goal, and then calculate how much physical space each amount would take up.
NWSS recommends 15 gallons of water (drinking and washing) per person for a two week shelter stay, so scaling that up to six months means I’ll need 180 gallons! For water storage, I found some 5 gallon jugs (Figure 2.1). Given the proportions of these jugs, my water supply should take up around 36 cubic feet of space. The whole bunker has nearly 4,000 cubic feet of space, for reference.
For food, I want to stick to about 2,000 calories per day. Food cans have around 300 calories each on average, so ~7 cans per day for six months calls for a whopping 1,200 cans! With the size of one can (Figure 2.2), they’ll need a solid 100 square feet.
In total, water and food is going to take up 136 cubic feet. If the shelf reaches the ceiling (~10 ft), the shelf should take up 13.6 square feet of floor space. If I put it against the 9 foot long dividing wall, I should install a shelf that’s 9 ft by 2 ft (Figure 2.3).
So that’s what I did! I was worried the plywood I used wouldn’t support the weight I’d be putting on it, but once I placed all of the water jugs, it held up just fine! I bought a few dozen cans each time I got groceries in the past few weeks, mostly concentrated soups and vegetables. There’s still a ways to go to have six months of sustenance, but it’s a start!
As I’ve been refining the plans, I’ve identified a few challenges. First, getting a supply of power for light and radio operation across a longer period of time looks to be a bit tricky. I figured I could just have a supply of car batteries and hook up a few lamps, but those get pricey fast! I think a better option is to try to get my hands on just one or two for the radio and some flashlights, and use lanterns and candles for light the rest of the time.
Another challenge is getting a fallout detector. Without some way to measure the radiation outside, I’ll have to depend on the radio alone to tell me when it’s safe to leave, and that’s not a gamble I want to make. They don’t exactly sell Geiger counters and dosimeters to the average consumer, though. I’ll have to get creative. I’m going to ask around both at work and online, and try to scour a military surplus store or two. If all else fails, there is a nuclear plant not too far from where I live. I’m sure I could find a way to… “borrow” a dosimeter or two.
Otherwise, all else is going according to plan! I’m going to build a bunk and some other furniture next, so come back in a month to hear how that goes!