What to Stock in a Bunker Besides Food

Food, water and air keep a family alive underground. Routine, exercise, music and something to do with their hands keep them sane. This is the list of what to load before you need it, and how to power it.

Why it matters

NASA studies crews living in isolated, confined places, including Antarctic research stations, because the same pressures show up on long space missions. Its behavioral health researchers list the stressors plainly: less privacy, restricted exercise, fewer outlets for leisure and limited contact with family and the outside world. A bunker stay has every one of them, plus worry about what is happening above ground.

The good news is that most of it can be planned for. Emergency managers already tell families to pack books, games and puzzles for children in a basic kit. A bunker needs the same idea scaled up for every person and for weeks, not days.

Give every day a shape

• A daily schedule on the wall. Wake, meals, chores, exercise, school or work, free time, lights out. Write it on a whiteboard and keep it.
• A real clock and a calendar. Underground, days blur. Cross each one off.
• Lights on a timer. Bright light in the morning and warm, dim light in the evening helps keep sleep on track. Our lighting is LED and can be scheduled.
• Jobs for everyone. Cooking, cleaning, checking the filters and water, logging the radio. Being useful is one of the best defenses against stir craziness.
• A private corner. A curtain, headphones and a chair where someone can be alone for an hour.

Exercise gear

Moving every day helps sleep, mood and stress. Build a gym cube into your layout in the Bunker Builder, or clear a corner of the living space.

• Rubber floor tiles or a large mat to protect the floor and quiet the noise
• Yoga mats for everyone, a foam roller and a stretching guide
• Adjustable dumbbells and one or two kettlebells: the most training for the least space
• Resistance bands and a door anchor
• A stationary bike or a rower. Choose one with no power cord, or check its draw against your battery bank
• A jump rope if your ceiling allows it, and a step or plyo box
• A printed workout plan, plus downloaded follow-along videos for yoga and strength

Screens, music and movies on the inverter

Assume there is no internet. Everything has to be downloaded or on disc before you go down. Most entertainment draws very little power next to the air system, but add it up and run it on a schedule.

• An external hard drive loaded with movies, shows, music and audiobooks, and a second copy
• Headphones for every person, wired spares, and a headphone splitter for sharing
• A power strip with a switch for each entertainment corner, so nothing sits on standby

Radios

• AM/FM and NOAA weather radio with a hand crank and solar panel, so it works even if the batteries are low
• A shortwave receiver for news from farther away
• Spare batteries in the sizes every radio uses, stored cool and dry
• A notebook by the radio to log times, stations and what was said

Radios are also a morale item: music and a human voice from outside matter. A Communications cube keeps them in one quiet place. See communications systems.

Books and learning

• Paper books for every age, and a shelf of favorites that people will reread
• E-readers loaded with a full library, and a solar charger
• Reference books: first aid, home repair, gardening, cooking from storage, and the manuals for every system in the bunker
• School workbooks for each child's grade, and printed lesson plans
• Language courses, a musical instrument method book, or any skill someone has always wanted to learn
• Religious and devotional books, if your family uses them

Games, puzzles and things for your hands

• Decks of cards and a book of card games
• Board games for different ages and group sizes, and a few that play in under an hour
• Chess, checkers, dominoes and dice
• Jigsaw puzzles in several sizes, and a puzzle board so the table can still be used
• Crossword, sudoku and word-search books, and plenty of pencils
• Sketchbooks, paints, colored pencils and craft kits
• Knitting, sewing or model kits
• A guitar, ukulele or harmonica, with spare strings
• Journals for everyone. Writing it down helps.

For kids and teens

• Their own bin of toys, books and games, packed with them, so it feels familiar
• A favorite blanket, stuffed animal or pillow
• Building sets, play dough and art supplies
• Downloaded shows and movies they already love
• A rotation: put some toys away and bring them out later so there is always something new

Medicine, comfort and sleep

Talk to your doctor and pharmacist now, not during an emergency.

• Prescriptions. Ask about an extended supply, such as 90-day fills, and ask your pharmacist or state board of pharmacy about emergency refill rules, which can allow early refills under an emergency declaration. Some medicines, including controlled substances, have limits; your doctor will tell you what is possible.
• Storage. The CDC advises keeping medicines away from temperature extremes and humidity, in waterproof bags, and knowing the shelf life and storage temperature of each one, including insulin. If anyone needs refrigerated medicine, plan a small refrigerator on the inverter.
• A written list of every medicine, dose and doctor, taped inside the medical cabinet.
• Over-the-counter basics your family already uses, plus spare glasses, contact lens supplies and hearing aid batteries.
• Pets. The CDC suggests working with your vet on an emergency supply of their medicines.
• Sleep. Earplugs, eye masks, a white noise machine and blackout curtains for bunks.
• Comfort. Family photos, a favorite mug, slippers, a familiar smell. Small things carry a lot of weight.

Clean clothes

Laundry matters more than people expect: clean clothes and sheets keep skin healthy and spirits up, and dirty laundry in a closed space adds smell and humidity.

• A compact high-efficiency washer uses far less water than a standard machine. Plan each load against your stored water.
• A ventless heat-pump dryer needs no outside vent and returns the moisture as water to drain, instead of filling the room with it. Our Laundry cube and option includes both, with a utility sink.
• A backup that needs no power: a hand plunger washer or a bucket with a lid, a wringer, a drying line or folding rack, and clothespins.
• Low-sudsing detergent for high-efficiency machines, a stain stick, and unscented options for sensitive skin
• Mesh laundry bags for each person and a schedule so loads are full
• Two to three sets of clothes per person, plus extra socks and underwear, and spare bed sheets

Plan for panic

Fear, crowding and not knowing what is happening above ground can bring on anxiety and panic attacks, even in people who have never had one. Plan for it like you plan for the air.

• If anyone in your household has anxiety or a panic disorder, ask their doctor for a written plan before you need it.
• Agree on a quiet place where someone can go to calm down, and a signal that means "give me space."
• Print a card with slow-breathing steps and keep it in every room.
• Set house rules for disagreements before you go down, and a daily check-in where everyone says how they are doing.
• Limit how often you listen to bad news. Set times for the radio and stick to them.

The checklist

Print this page and check items off as you load them.

• Daily schedule board, clock, calendar
• Exercise mats, weights, bands, bike or rower, workout plans
• TV, disc player, discs, laptop, external drive with movies and music
• Record player, records, speakers, headphones for everyone
• AM/FM/NOAA crank radio, shortwave, spare batteries, radio log
• Books, e-readers, reference manuals, schoolwork
• Cards, board games, puzzles, puzzle books, art and craft supplies, instruments
• Kids' bins and comfort items
• Prescriptions, medicine list, over-the-counter basics, spare glasses
• Earplugs, eye masks, white noise, privacy curtains
• Washer and dryer or a plunger washer, line, clothespins, detergent, spare clothes and sheets
• A written plan for anxiety and panic

This guide is general information to help you plan. It is not engineering, legal or water-rights advice, and requirements vary by state and county. Every Styrkholm project is designed by licensed professionals for the specific site.