In Time of Emergency | Page 8

perhaps $100-$200,
and if you have basic carpentry or masonry skills you probably could
do the work yourself in a short time.
Here are three methods of providing a permanent family shelter in the
"best" corner of your home basement--that is, the corner which is most
below ground level. If you decide to set up one of these shelters, first
get the free plan for it by writing to Civil Defense, Army Publications
Center, 2800 Eastern Blvd. (Middle River), Baltimore, Md. 21220. In
ordering a plan, use the full name shown for it.
CEILING MODIFICATION PLAN A
If nearly all your basement is below ground level, you can use this plan
to build a fallout shelter area in one corner of it, without changing the
appearance of it or interfering with its normal peacetime use.
However, if 12 inches or more of the basement wall is above ground
level, this plan should not be used unless you add the "optional walls"
shown in the sketch.
Overhead protection is obtained by screwing plywood sheets securely
to the joists, and then filling the spaces between the joists with bricks or
concrete blocks. An extra beam and a screwjack column may be needed
to support the extra weight.
Building this shelter requires some basic woodworking skills and about

$150-$200 for materials. It can be set up while the house is being built,
or afterward.
ALTERNATE CEILING MODIFICATION PLAN B
This is similar to Plan A, except that new extra joists are fitted into part
of the basement ceiling to support the added weight of the shielding
(instead of using a beam and a screwjack column).
The new wooden joists are cut to length and notched at the ends, then
installed between the existing joists.
After plywood panels are screwed securely to the joists, bricks or
concrete blocks are then packed tightly into the spaces between the
joists. The bricks or blocks, as well as the joists themselves, will reduce
the amount of fallout radiation penetrating downward into the
basement.
Approximately one-quarter of the total basement ceiling should be
reinforced with extra joists and shielding material.
_Important:_ This plan (like Plan A) should not be used if 12 inches or
more of your basement wall is above ground level, unless you add the
"optional walls" inside your basement that are shown in the Plan A
sketch.
PERMANENT CONCRETE BLOCK OR BRICK SHELTER PLAN C
This shelter will provide excellent protection, and can be constructed
easily at a cost of $150 in most parts of the country.
Made of concrete blocks or bricks, the shelter should be located in the
corner of your basement that is most below ground level. It can be built
low, to serve as a "sitdown" shelter; or by making it higher you can
have a shelter in which people can stand erect.
The shelter ceiling, however, should not be higher than the outside
ground level of the basement corner where the shelter is located.

The higher your basement is above ground level, the thicker you should
make the walls and roof of this shelter, since your regular basement
walls will provide only limited shielding against outside radiation.
Natural ventilation is provided by the shelter entrance, and by the air
vents shown in the shelter wall.
This shelter can be used as a storage room or for other useful purposes
in non-emergency periods.
A PREPLANNED BASEMENT SHELTER. If your home has a
basement but you do not wish to set up a permanent-type basement
shelter, the next best thing would be to arrange to assemble a
"preplanned" home shelter. This simply means gathering together, in
advance, the shielding material you would need to make your basement
(or one part of it) resistant to fallout radiation. This material could be
stored in or around your home, ready for use whenever you decided to
set up your basement shelter.
Here are two kinds of preplanned basement shelters. If you want to set
up one of these, be sure to get the free plan for it first by writing to
Civil Defense, Army Publications Center, 2800 Eastern Blvd. (Middle
River), Baltimore, Md. 21220. Mention the full name of the plan you
want.
PREPLANNED SNACK BAR SHELTER PLAN D
This is a snack bar built of bricks or concrete blocks, set in mortar, in
the "best" corner of your basement (the corner that is most below
ground level). It can be converted quickly into a fallout shelter by
lowering a strong, hinged "false ceiling" so that it rests on the snack
bar.
When the false ceiling is lowered into place in a time of emergency, the
hollow sections of it can be filled with bricks or concrete blocks. These
can be stored conveniently nearby, or can be used as room dividers or
recreation room furniture (see bench