(This is a guest post by a budding preparedness writer named Liz Becker.  Liz is an blogger, freelance writer and recent college graduate. She currently performs market research for an online marketing firm when she is not contributing her own thoughts and observations to the online community.  Like Liz, many preparedness folk have information to offer; therefore, we offer our readers the opportunity to submit an article for possible publication on our website.  Check out the toolbar item “Submit an Article” above for more details)

The 3 Absolute Essentials for your Bomb Shelter

by Liz Becker

You don’t have to believe in the apocalypse to prepare for disaster with an underground bomb shelter. You also don’t have to be an extremist to want to create a physical safety net for you and your family. There are all sorts of adverse conditions in life and these structures can protect against storms, natural disasters, and man-made horrors including bio-weapons and, worse, nuclear weapons.

But many people do not have the time or know-how to create the perfect safe haven. In fact, many people wouldn’t even know where to start. For example, what do you stock it with? What are the necessities? Let’s start with the basics: food, water, and medicine.

Long-term food

Make sure your bomb shelter is good to go with freeze-dried foods that provide for all the major food groups and plenty of nutrition. Freeze-dried foods are used for everything from astronaut food to fruit snacks for kids and instant coffee. Fortunately, advances in stored food have made it so that these meals don’t have to be devoid of flavor and healthy minerals. Anti-oxidant rich preservatives, smoking, and pickling are common ways to enhance flavor. Other food options include canned goods, dry cereals, and military meals.

Water

Water is, of course, absolutely critical. Most people can’t survive more than a couple days without water before their organs start to give out. In the development of any bomb shelter, you’ll want to make sure you have at least a gallon or two a day for each person. Make sure to bring in fresh water every six months.

You should also consider supplying electrolyte-rich water or electrolyte supplements which increase hydration and reduce strain on the kidneys. Coconut water, for instance, would make an excellent addition to your H2O supply, as it contains high levels of anti-oxidants and electrolytes (especially potassium).

Medicine and Prescriptions

If you have asthma, diabetes, or some other specialized medical condition you must have a backup reserve of medicine in your bomb shelter. In the event of an emergency, food and water alone will not be able to protect you from an asthma attack, low blood sugar, or a heart condition.

If someone in your family has asthma you’ll want to keep fresh Albuterol inhalers on hand and replace them when they expire. For diabetics keep insulin injections and other clean equipment on hand. Once you have these basics covered you can move on to more advanced precautions, such as potassium iodide or iodate. In case of a nuclear explosion, KI and KIO3 pills protect your thyroid from radioactive iodine. These pills have a shelf life of about five or six years.

This is in no way a comprehensive list but it does give you a blueprint for what to stock first in your bomb shelter. In case of a disaster you need water, food, and medicine in order to survive. Many people update their bomb shelters frequently throughout the year, others check in every few years. It never hurts to have a contingency plan in the event of mega-storm, a war, or some natural disaster.