I've recently read about John Glennie and his amazing story of survival at sea and was equally impressed with this survival structure he designed.
I saw where the price in plans have been reduced from $550 to the range of $300 and am seriously considering getting the plans and building something like this. I would be interested in discussing how to go about all of this with others who may have similar ideas. Is anyone building an underground emergency shelter?
http://www.preparedplanet.com/Emergency%20Shelters.html
Based on dome technology, the Sea Egg Emergency Shelter is the ultimate safe home to have for your family and loved ones in case of emergency or disaster. Made of durable and resilliant rebar and concrete, this shelter system offers a safe retreat from the world with all the creature comforts of a home. With the cost and recent escalation of ready made shelter prices, this is an affordable alternative for anyone who has the will and determination to do what it takes to be safe in these uncertain times. You don't need to be a contractor to know how to build this emergency shelter...anyone can do this! Builder designer John Glennie has taken all the guess work out of the equation and given us real instructions in layman terms. Ready made affordable designs for anyone who wants to save money and have the best shelter system money can buy. Plans come with easy to read instructions and design, along with builder contact information for questions and support.* This is the best do it yourself emergency shelter we have seen.
About the designer
John Glennie did his apprenticeship in the boatbuilding trade in New Zealand. Sailed the South Pacific with his brother David in their home built trimaran “Highlight” for 7 years, selling it in LA to come back to Sydney to build a trimaran each of John’s own design. On a cruise from Blenheim, NZ to Tonga in ’89 John’s yacht “Rose-Noelle” capsized in a 60 ft vertical wall of water and he and his crew spent the next 4 months drifting upside down in the predominantly westerly winds and currents through the Roaring Forties in the middle of winter on what should have been a 5000 mile trip to Chile.
It wasn’t so much of “what he knew but what knew him” It turned out to be the wind bringing them back to NZ.----- Four months later. As the wind has never done that before in maritime history, a marine enquiry was set up and they were proven correct in their story. John chronicled the story in his book “The Spirit of Rose-Noelle’ 119 days adrift” by Penguin. He holds the unofficial world record for the longest time adrift in a cold climate.
"I have worked with John in the past on one of his Sea Egg Shelters. As a former licensed general contractor and a builder with 20 years experience including construction of two California school projects as Superintendent, I will say: Utilizing a sphere as an exterior wall system, John’s Sea Egg Design is among the strongest structures you can build underground in regards to earth movements. The rounded bottom allows the forces of an earthquake, coming up from below, to dissipate around the structure as opposed to a flat slab which can catch those forces, like a sail in the wind.Also, in the case of liquefaction, a condition during an earthquake where certain soils tend to act as a viscous liquid; this underground shelter will do extremely well finding balance and remaining level."