Timeline for Stage 1 Shelter Occupancy

* Perform a Shelter Loading Test

* Ventilate Personnel Shelters

* Soak Lightning Protection System

* Seal Vents

* Load 19 Shelters with Personnel

* Install Entrance Lid

* Load Last Shelter

* Take Position in Hammocks

* Medication

* Carbon Dioxide Scrubber

* Open Inlet Vent

* Assemble Ventilation System

* Test Ventilation System.

* Open Exhaust Vent

* Exit Shelter

Perform a Shelter Loading Test

After the personnel shelters are constructed and approximately 8 hours prior to impact, perform a shelter loading test. This test serves three functions. First, the test identifies problems with shelter loading, such as lids that become obstructed. Second, the test provides an estimate for the time required to load the shelters. Third, the test allows individuals to practice entering, securing the shelters and getting into the hammocks.

The loading test is timed using a stopwatch. At the start, all individuals (except for those in the last shelter with the metal lid) will enter their designated shelters. The individuals from the last shelter will divide up into two person teams, one for each of the 19 shelters. The responsibility of these teams will be to secure the shelter from the outside. This includes placing two beads of silicon sealant around the bottom side of the lid, positioning the plywood lid, nailing the lid down, and covering the entrance with sand and sandbags. During this test, the teams will only practice by placing the lids into position.

As the 19 shelters are loaded, the ladders will be pulled into the shelter and the lids put in place. At this time the teams on the outside can help other teams complete their tasks and then start to load the final shelter. When all members of the last shelter are inside, they will pull in the ladder, close the metal lid and secure it with a come-along to the ground anchor. When all individuals are in their positions in the hammocks, the time will be stopped and recorded. To this time must be added the time for nailing the entrance lid and covering the entrance and a margin of error. I would use 15 minutes here. This total will be the time required for shelter loading.

The test may be repeated if problems occur or you need the practice.

Resolve any confusion about the predicted impact time. Since there are a variety of time zones, and since the impact time may be expressed in Greenwich Mean Time, the possibility of confusion exists. The predicted impact time may be revised and refined for exactness, just prior to impact. Keep the radio on for the latest predictions.

Ventilate Personnel Shelters

About 8 hours before impact, I recommend you recycle the air in the shelters. Rig up a blower system and move fresh air through the inlet vent pipe pushing stale air out of each shelter.

Soak Lightning Protection System

Approximately one hour before impact, soak the earth with salt water around each grounding rod. This will improve electrical conductivity. Do not soak the upside-down grounding rods located atop the four earth mounds.

Seal Vents

From inside the shelter install a 4 inch thread black plug into a 125 lb. cast iron raised face threaded flange for the intake pipe and for the exhaust pipe. Insure that you place Teflon tape (Teflon thread sealer) over the plug threads before you assemble this connection. This will strengthen this seal and prevent it from leaking. But more importantly, the Teflon will make it easier for you to remove the plug when it is time to place the ventilation system in operation.

After plugging the vents, exit the shelter and verify the entrance is not obstructed and clean away any sand or dirt that might prevent a good seal with the lid.

On the outside, stuff fiberglass insulation into the metal vent pipes. Cover the top of the vent pipe with 3 layers of tin foil and use a pliable wire to twist clamp it into place. The fiberglass will provide shock and thermal insulation. The tin foil will keep the assembly dry until hit by the blast wave.

Load 19 Shelters with Personnel

From the shelter loading test, a good estimate of the time required to load the shelters will be derived. When this time comes begin the loading process. Personnel should be lowered into 19 of shelters using ladders. The ladders should be pulled into the shelters.

Install Entrance Lid

Two beads of silicon caulking should be placed on the lid and the lid marriaged to the circular entrance hole. Each corner of the lid should be nailed. (Inside the shelter, the occupants should use a hammer and bend these nails over.) On the outside, cover the lid with 6 inches of granular soil. Then fill the rest of the entrance hole with sandbags.

Load Last Shelter

Load the last shelter. Pull down metal lid. Connect the come-along to the handle in the metal lid and connect the other side to the ground anchor. Prop 4 x 4 beams to provide support for the lid. Tighten the come-along so the lid is snug.

Take Position in Hammocks

The hammocks will provide insulation from the shock of the impact blast. Ground motion accompanying overpressures greater than of 75 psi can be very severe. At this level, individuals standing on concrete floors can have their legs broken by the shock pulse. Heads can be badly injured if they are near a ceiling or a wall. The hammocks provide limited shock isolation.

Hammocks will also provide shock isolation from earthquakes that will follow the impact.

Conditions in the shelter after the impact will be harsh. Expect high humidity and air temperature. This will make life miserable. As this occurs, I recommend that you remove as much clothing as modesty will allow and sit or sleep in the hammock. The hammock will also allow the entire body to be exposed to air, allowing for maximum natural body cooling.

Medication

After the shelter is closed and sealed, oxygen will begin to deplete from the shelter atmosphere. As a result, it will become important to enhance the bodies ability to function under reduced levels of oxygen. Several drugs have been effective in prolonging life in low oxygen environments. These include acetazolamide, dexamethasone, and nifedipine. Also, research by scientist at Hammersmith Hospital in London and the National Center for Cardiology in Kyrgyzstan found that an enzyme is responsible for producing breathlessness at high altitudes by constricting the arteries in the lungs. They discovered that Viagra blocks the action of this enzyme.⁴⁸

Medication should only be used as necessary.

Carbon Dioxide Scrubber

Expect severe conditions immediately after impact. Chunks of molten rock or superheated liquids will fall from the sky. Black rain will fall from the sky. Firestorms may rage over the Earth. Torrent of rain will fall producing extensive flooding. There may be hurricanes in Minnesota. The safest place to be will be in the shelter. Each hour after impact, the Earth will begin the process of healing itself. Poisonous gases will mix with the water in the air and produce strong acid rains. Once these acids fall to the ground they will react with alkaline in the soil and be neutralized. Hot poisonous gases coming off the fires will rise up in the sky because hot air rises. The heat will cause great evaporation of the oceans. The dust kicked up in the impact combined with the smoke will place the surface of the Earth in darkness. This will prevent sunlight from hitting the surface of the Earth and warming it. The dust and smoke will also work as a trap and keep much of the surface heat at the surface. The mixture of hot and cold will cause very violent storms with massive winds. The rain and the winds will make the surface habitable again. Some of the atmosphere that was flung out into space will return due to the Earth’s gravity.

Wait as long as possible before opening the shelter to the outside. The first problem in keeping the shelter sealed is that carbon dioxide levels will become intolerable. A 3 percent concentration is the top safe limit for carbon dioxide.⁴⁹ At 5 percent concentrations, individuals experience nausea. At 10 percent concentrations a person will become unconscious and die. A person produces 0.67 cubic feet of carbon dioxide per hour. The number of hours that a shelter can remain sealed before carbon dioxide levels exceed safe limits is equal to (the volume of air inside the shelter times the 3 percent limit) divided by (the number of people in the shelter times one person’s hourly production rate for carbon dioxide). For this underground shelter design, the amount of time is approximately 4 hours.

This time can be extended to approximately 16 hours, if the air within the shelter is scrubbed for carbon dioxide. After the blast wave hits the shelter, begin scrubbing the air. Connect the Kearny Plywood Double Action Piston Pump to the Filter Housing. Install a high efficiency pleated flat furnace filter into the housing assembly. Cut a rectangle of cotton cheese cloth and place it centered ontop the furnace filter and with the sides extending upward forming a deep tray. Fill the cheese cloth with Sofnolime to a depth of approximately 3 inches. Place the lid ontop the filter housing. Pump the air continuously through the scrubber. When the Sofnolime becomes depleted replace with new material and continue pumping.

Another chemical that is even more reactive at removing carbon dioxide from the air than Sofnolime (Soda Lime) is lithium hydroxide. This granular material is very caustic to the skin and respiratory tract and must be handled with great caution. But lithium hydroxide is very efficient at scrubbing carbon dioxide from the air. Lithium hydroxide is more expensive and will be harder to obtain.

Warning: Wear filter mask, goggles and plastic gloves when handling either Sofnolime or Lithium Hydroxide. Handle this material in accordance with the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS). Only use granular material. This is a caustic material and the dust can present a danger to the eyes, the skin and the lungs. Move individuals away from the filter housing when loading or unloading this material.

This time can be extended even further by storing canisters of oxygen within the shelter and as oxygen levels fall off, release the supplementary oxygen supply.

Open Inlet Vent

Wait as long as possible after the impact event before removing the metal plug from the inside flange. Conditions on the outside will be very nasty. Before you remove the end cap, insure the valve is closed on the PVC pipe assembly and install a rubber seal around the top of the assembly. Apply gasket sealant to the inside and outside edges of the PVC pipe and bend the rubber over the pipe ends. [Caution: The individuals that remove the end caps from the metal pipes should wear half mask respirators with acid gas cartridge and nitrile gloves, if available. All other persons should retreat to the far side of the shelter during this process.] Remove the end cap from the inlet metal vent pipe using a large pipe wrench and a hammer. Push the wrecker bar through the pipe to remove debris. After the vent pipe is clear, tilt the PVC pipe assembly into position, covering the metal intake vent pipe. The PVC to plywood fit must be a tight seal. Use the ground floor bricked area to support the PVC pipe assembly. Use wooden wedges ontop the bricks to prop and hold the PVC pipe assembly tightly in place.

Assemble Ventilation System

After the pipe assembly is in position, connect permanently the pipe assembly to the filter and the ventilation pump. Mount the filter and pump assembly to the cross braces for support.

Test Ventilation System

Open the valve and test the filtration system. If problems are encountered, close the valve and repair or modify the system.

At the beginning, it will be important to pump the air slowly. The Activated Carbon Chemisorptive Filter requires a reaction time in order to work properly. If you pump too fast, you will move the air through the specially treated filter without effectively removing the highly toxic gases. Time will cure the outside atmosphere and natural reactions will neutralize the toxic gases.

Open Exhaust Vent

After the system is tested and working properly, remove the outlet vent pipe end cap and clear the pipe using the wrecker bar.

Exit Shelter

When the outside temperature is bearable and the atmosphere breathable, it is time to exit the shelter. The decision to exit the shelter is a decision that must be made by the shelter occupant after they make a safety assessment. Use the wrecker bar to break your way to the surface. Use a hammer to knock out the nails securing the plywood lid to the plywood roof. Then attack the entrance lid with the wrecker bar until you break it up and move it out of the way. Allow the earth covering to fall into the shelter. Use the ladder to get to the surface. Once on the surface, you can use shovels to open up the remaining shelters.

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