By RACHAEL BUNYAN FOR MAILONLINE and AFP 26 April 2022
‘A large-scale nuclear war would however be catastrophic, and no state would be able to guard against the effects.’
Companies are ‘overwhelmed with enquiries’ for NUCLEAR BUNKERS in Switzerland and reporting shortage of materials following Ukraine invasion
- Since 1960s, every Swiss municipality had to build nuclear bunkers for residents
- Residents are now contacting specialist companies to build or renovate shelters
- The bunkers are being viewed in a new light since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Companies that build and repair bomb shelters are being ‘overwhelmed with enquiries’ for nuclear fallout bunkers in Switzerland, as Russian’s invasion of Ukraine has reawakened interest in the secure facilities.
Residents in Switzerland, where nuclear bunkers have been mandatory for every household since the 1960s, are now contacting the companies to build or renovate their shelters to make sure they can be protected in the event of bombings or nuclear war.
Demand is so high for the concrete nuclear bunkers that specialist companies are now facing shortages in raw materials required to build them………………………………………………………………….
Switzerland’s vast network of nuclear bunkers have a range of other day-to-day uses, including as military barracks or as temporary accommodation for asylum seekers. But Swiss authorities require that they can be emptied and reverted back to nuclear shelters within five days.
So far, Switzerland’s population has never been ordered down into the shelters, not even in the wake of the Chernobyl disaster.
Experts say the most likely scenario for needing to use them has always been a possible accident at one of Switzerland’s own nuclear power plants.
But now the conflict raging in Ukraine has added a new, urgent layer to the national nuclear anxiety.
With public concern growing, Swiss authorities have published overviews of the available shelter spots, and have urged households to always maintain a stock of food to last at least a week. ………………………………..
Experts caution though that the level of protection provided by the shelters in the case of actual nuclear weapons use would depend heavily on the intensity and proximity of the strikes.
‘The shelters could offer the population a certain level of temporary protection against radioactive events,’ Swiss defence ministry spokesman Andreas Bucher said.
‘A large-scale nuclear war would however be catastrophic, and no state would be able to guard against the effects.’ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10751447/Companies-overwhelmed-enquiries-NUCLEAR-BUNKERS-Switzerland-following-Ukraine-invasion.html
The Free 