A newspaper article from 1977 regarding a city bomb shelter that was built in a housing development in Los Altos during the Cold War era photographed at the Los Altos Historical Museum in Los Altos, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017. In 1962, a developer created the Windsor Square subdivision in Los Altos and pitched to prospective buyers a 50- to 60-person fallout shelter for the neighborhood. (Courtesy of Hayward Area Historical Society, gift of Oakland Tribune), A 1962 Oakland Tribune clipping. Being prepared for a nuclear event will mean youre also better prepared for other things that can -- and at some point most likely will -- happen in Los Angeles, including earthquakes, floods, and fires. Related Articles 2. There are other former shelters scattered around the East Bay, including the Alameda County sheriffs dispatch center in San Leandro, which still has its enormous doors in the facility built into a hillside. Twenty-three property owners paid into the homeowners assessment to build the $39,000 underground bunker buried in the front yard of a house. Search for open shelters by texting SHELTER and your ZIP code to 43362. During some emergencies, we may also be able to provide other important services, such as: Access to case workers to help you with disaster recovery, Direct access to services provided by our partners. Atop Mount Umunhum, southwest of San Jose, are the remnants of the 682nd Aircraft Control and Warning squadron headquarters the Almaden Air Force Station which was tasked with protecting Central California from a Soviet attack. But, as one 1979 Oakland Tribune article declared, fears of a nuclear holocaust began to subside even as the Cold War dragged on with no end in sight. One response: the fallout shelter. A Bay Area native, he loves his Warriors, Giants and 49ers. Find nearby fallout shelters. hf. We can always pay the Hub to deliver clean water to us. 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Those people were the mister and missus, their three young children, their three married children and grandkids (if they could get there before the hatch was sealed), four servants, and a collie, a Pekingese and a miniature bulldog. When you arrive, please let us know if you have any specific needs or requests for equipment, supplies, food or cultural or religious requirements. Keep 7 to 10 days of emergency supplies like water, food, and medical necessities. There are some photos, documents and relics related to the Cold War and the nuclear threat housed there. Many of the fallout shelters have since been disassembled, however some still remain. A newlywed pair in 1959 Florida did take a dare from a radio station and spent their two-week honeymoon underground, where the radio station and her parents called them up too many times a day. Dozens of water barrels remain stacked in a stairwell in the large complex, along with a box of crackers and first aid supplies. . San Jose air raid sirens: At least 38 air raid sirens can be viewed around the city by following this map athttp://arcg.is/2wc7OV6. Remnants of other Nike missile sites can be viewed as well. A 1960s map of Sacramento County lists 135 different fallout shelters people could go into the event of a nuclear attack.The maps list multiple government buildings like the state Capitol, city hall and schools, but it also include places like banks, hotels and even a hardware store.Sacramento City and County Historian Marcia Eymann said during that era many believed Sacramento was a potential target based on its proximity to Mather and McClellan Air Force Bases and its status as the California capital.MORE: Get a closer look at the maps here"If you were going to take out those military installations, the best thing you could have done was aim for the city and then youd take them with it," Eymann said. Off in the foothills of Dublin, the men, wearing vests with their identification numbers, were placed into a large, half-cylinder-shaped room, 25-feet-wide and 48-feet-long, with open toilets, air conditioning, and shuffleboard, cards and checkers to pass the time. 3. Sacramento City and County Historian Marcia Eymann said during that era many believed Sacramento was a potential target based on its proximity to Mather and McClellan Air Force Bases and its status as the California capital. Among my personal acquaintances, however, I know very few who have gone beyond the talking and have actually built shelters.. Each was built not only with the faith that it would survive an initial blast, but that in due course days, weeks, or months the sheltered could emerge to pick up life such as it was in a post-nuke world. In 1958, Oakland officials built the Oakland Civil Defense Control Center to operate as a second City Hall if the downtown building were flattened by a Russian bomb. More than a third were interested in personal shelters, so long as they cost no more than $500, but half gave them a full pass. Originally built during the Cold War era as a place for city officials to go to continue running the city in the event of a nuclear event, the shelter has been used for several things since then, including being used by the Oakland Police Department many years ago. A fallout shelteris a specially designed enclosure that safeguards occupants from radioactive waste in case of a nuclear war. "We were like a giant target and we were the bullseye. Please bring your pet(s) with you and a shelter worker will help you when you arrive. (Dan Honda/Bay Area News Group), A copy photograph from December 1959 of a Naval Radiology Laboratory bomb shelter experiment copied at the Alameda County Sheriff's office archives in Dublin, Calif., on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017. A national survey was in the offing, one that would identify "all public buildings with fallout shelter potential," and mark them accordingly. And the last straw, smack-dab in the middle of the Cold War? Alameda County Sheriffs Office archives: Near Santa Rita Jail, the archives are open the third Thursday of the month, but its best to set up appointments by calling 510-272-6878. The home fallout shelter, opined Joseph J. Micciche, L.A.s civil defense director, is the only means of survival in the event of nuclear attack. As late as 1982, President Reagans deputy undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, Thomas K. Jones, a stalwart believer in civil defense programs, was completely sincere when he said, If there are enough shovels to go around, everybodys going to make it.. They stocked it with medical supplies, food and water for three weeks, a record player, seeds, and more than a thousand books. 200 N SpringSt, Room 1533Los Angeles, CA 90012. (Dan Honda/Bay Area News Group), A drum for drinking water from photographed at the Alameda County Sheriff's office archives in Dublin, Calif., on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017. Probably are, but the next question is do they have enough supplies to keep the hungry masses alive til the next available food source is ready and have a water chip. It is currently not really in use at all, except for some overflow storage for the theater. Until about eight years ago, an old shelter underneath the Hayward Plunge was fully stocked with water drums and rations before the citys historical society collected the supplies. Send tips to925-952-5026ormgafni@bayareanewsgroup.com. Published By: PTCrazy. The light green paint remains, as does the row of phone banks, absent the old receivers, though. IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasnt followed: What should you do? Every effort will be made to accommodate your needs. American Red Cross services, including food and shelter, are always provided at no cost a gift of the American people. It was fitted out with radio, phone, TV, and Geiger counter, and capacious enough for 15 people to spend 30 days. Also, refer to the LA City Local Hazard Mitigation Plan. Saw one on the math building entrance. 3 of 33 4 of 33. In May 1960, a Los Angeles company switched from making trampolines to making metal fallout shelters, sending salesmen door to door to peddle the $1,500 prefab metal model, without, of course, setting off little bombs as the traveling salesmans standard home-test demonstration. (Courtesy of Hayward Area Historical Society, gift of Oakland Tribune). These shelters were meant to house families and numerous people and keep them safe from the potential excess smoke and debris, aka, the "fallout". Alameda County Sheriffs Office archives: Near Santa Rita Jail, the archives are open the third Thursday of the month, but its best to set up appointments by calling 510-272-6878. If an attack were probable, the sirens would sound a steady blast for three to five minutes. Illustration of a family building a bomb fallout shelter together, using sand-filled concrete blocks for roof shielding, from a U.S. Department of Defense publication, 1961. During any emergency, officials with the City of Los Angeles will do their best to communicate with Angelenos on as many platforms as possible. Such unearthings happened often enough that Hollywood tweaked this into a 1998 movie called Blast From the Past, about a grown man who had lived entirely in a shelter with his parents, until he emerged into the modern-day San Fernando Valley, a shock enough for anyones system. And this couple a couple years back found one at the house they bought: http://www.scpr.org/programs/offramp/2013/03/07/30810/photos-new-woodland-hills-homeowners-find-fully-st/. This is its gruesome history, Why we turned the L.A. River into a freeway (for water), Before and after photos from space show storms effect on California reservoirs, Dramatic before and after photos from space show epic snow blanketing SoCal mountains, The chance of a lifetime: Five friends ski the tallest mountain in Los Angeles, Best coffee city in the world? It is currently not really in use at all, except for some overflow storage for the theater. Send him an encrypted text on Signal at408-921-8719. 4) Caves. The shelter became an albatross for the city to maintain over the years. Actually, it can shelter over 5 million people. The best way to get information or communicate with others may be older tools, such as battery-powered AM/FM radios, two-way radios (walkie talkies), or "ham" radios. After one too many floods, L.A. turned its river into a concrete channel. In 1977, a neighbor asked the city if she could have a key to the bunker but was turned down. (Dan Honda/Bay Area News Group), A large room of an old Civil Defense bomb shelter underneath the Woodminster Amphitheater in Joaquin Miller Park in Oakland, Calif., photographed on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017. It still has food, water, and sanitation kits from the '60s. Visit http://acme.com/jef/nike/ or www.atlasobscura.com/places/nike-missile-site-sf-51. Woodminster Amphitheatre: The fallout shelter is closed, but the sign can be viewed at the theaters main entrance in Joaquin Miller Park. Many! Inside the 14- to 24-inch thick concrete walls was a 60-kilowatt diesel generator, more than 30 days worth of fuel, water and food, 20 telephones, a kitchen and a control room. Just enter your location and make sure you've checked "underground" and a 50 miles radius. . Fallout shelter pamphlets from the 1960s indicate dozens of facilities across Contra Costa to find shelter if you couldn't leave, such as Sunset Mausoleum in Kensington and a Saint Mary's . . (Dan Honda/Bay Area News Group), Rations of food, water and medical supplies still sit in part of an old Civil Defense bomb shelter underneath the Woodminster Amphitheater in Joaquin Miller Park in Oakland, Calif., photographed on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017. There are simple steps you can take to prepare for a nuclear incident and to protect yourself if it does happen. Within weeks of the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack, Los Angeles bought scores of air-raid sirens, some shaped like rockets, some shaped like trumpets, or birdhouses, and mounted them above fire stations, on telephone poles, at Griffith Park observatory. For Bay Area native, he loves his Warriors, Giants and 49ers the. The Cold War a concrete channel deliver clean water to us: http:.! 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