Parents starting an air raid shelter

[PanicStations2025]

I've called my parents tonight and they’ve been telling me all about the shelter that they’re building in case Russia attacks. I feel like this is crazy! They do live near an army base (within 10 miles) so they’ve been packing food, water, games, bedding etc to survive a week! Is it me or is that insane? Are we really at that level of risk now? Should I be starting a pack? What do I even put in it?

Are they just enthusiastic peppers who like a doom ridden narrative to justify their hobby or is this something they are actually worried about?

Edit; Preppers not peppers 🤣

They are loons!

What a ridiculous thing to do!

Russia isn’t going to take on the whole of the west anytime soon! They can’t even beat Ukraine into submission with help from North Korea!

If Your parents are happy snd it’s not hurting anyone let them crack on!

It's pointless because, in the unlikely event that we are attacked, you'd want to make sure you're zapped immediately - who on earth would want to survive?
But, I guess, if they're happy, then it's a harmless activity.

A snarky response could be that it's a shame they didn't put that much effort into their community instead.

To be fair the OP makes no note of how much effort her parents do or don't put onto their local community...
As far as any of us are aware they may run the local food bank and volunteer 6 days a week

Yeah ok

Have you explained to your parents that we aren't actually in range of Russias bombs? Do they actually think a bomb is going be fired from Russia and reach the UK?

I hate to break the news to you of ICBMs but there are these things called ICBMs …

Yeah, but they'd be shot down over Europe before they reach the UK 😅 - go ahead and terrorise everyone though. Pretty sure if Russia couldda done it, they wouldda done it already.

Where are they building it, and using what materials?
(I'm envisaging underground in back garden?).
Genuine question as I'm intrigued!

Seems sensible.

I mean, maybe not actually a full-on shelter (are they just assembling things in the cellar, basically?), but generally almost everyone across Scandinavia and Eastern Europe has been told, and will have about a week's supplies, and know how to take shelter. Streets have signs on where the shelters are etc (tunnels, tube stations etc used for that purpose).

Mum's all set and if that gives her peace of mind, I'm pleased for her.

A UK military base is a very legit target.

We just haven't had war in Western Europe for so long that we all think it's insanity but looks at all the countries amassing artillery and generally gearing up for war, regular Russian cyber attacks, transport networks being taken down etc.

Even if they were to lose power and water for a few days, why not have that.

Everyone did this in Covid, it might be more relevant now.

If they're happy, hey, good for them.

A bit of prepping to have a few days worth of food, water, cash, solar powered powerbank seems sensible even if only for a cyberattack rather than a bomb.

What are they making it out of? Have they dug up their garden to build it underground? Do they think this will protect them against ordinary shelling? Or something nuclear?

I’d let them crack on with it if I were you. If they’ve got to this stage, then nothing you say is going to convince them that they’re being bonkers. Let them feel like they’re doing something proactive if it puts their mind at rest.

I think that if we get to the stage of attacks, then it’s likely to be on our infrastructure, so it wouldn’t be the worst idea to have a regularly changed supply of bottled water, torches, batteries, a power pack, tinned food and some cash tucked away in a cupboard somewhere, and all your id in the same place. But that’s just common sense. If it gets to the stage where bombs are going off, moving into a garden shed isn’t going to help you.

Doesn't leave much time to build a shelter then.

Now if they had been nurses, or doctors, then I could understand them having a tonne of free time. With the added bonus they would be some use when the dust settles.

Huh?

We all need a project but unless it’s deep underground and lined with concrete, I’m not sure how useful it’ll be.

On the games front, what are they going for? Risk? Monopoly?

To be honest, I would really like to have access to a shelter. In my tiny terrace house there is nowhere to hide if we ever got bombed. I would be unable to even follow the advice about keeping away from a window because the rooms are pretty small.

Given that the campaign in Ukraine was supposed to take 3 days and it's been 3 years, I don't think they have capacity to attack the UK unless it is some kind of unconventional cyber or terrorist like attack.

However I do think that with climate changing rapidly we will have to prepare to be able to get through couple of days without electricity or water, or ability to travel.

They've already built it and are filling it with duvets as we speak?.....course they have.

I wouldn't worry for a moment that Russia could strike us with bombs, however they are capable of causing chaos with our IT, energy supplies etc so maybe your parents aren't being so shortsighted

I feel this is appropriate

My granny used to have an old air raid shelter at the bottom of her garden. I never understood how it would be any use as it wasn't underground.

It was made of bricks with a tin roof so I don't know if maybe during the war it also had earth or something round it. We used to play in it as kids.

Could they come round and do an extension for me @PanicStations2025 ? They seem to be very speedy builders.