13.02.28-OC-QA-Don-Sa_opt1

“Who knows I’m here?” This is the thought running through my mind right before Kessler Park resident Don Sanders takes me down into the bunker in his backyard.

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Sanders is a pretty cool guy; not the least bit intimidating. He’s friendly, with a sarcastic sense of humor, and he has a million interesting stories to tell. Fun to hang out with. But I watch too many true crime stories on TV, and for just a flicker of a moment, I was afraid to go down there.

Our photo editor, Danny Fulgencio, was not so afraid. He shot Sanders’ fallout shelter at nighttime and came away with the most amazing photographs.

The shelter was built in 1961 to accommodate three people for five days following an A-bomb attack. After the fifth day, you could go outside the shelter to find food or supplies. Every good shelter was equipped with a broom so that you could sweep away radioactive dust. Umm … I think I would prefer to die in the blast than live in an underground cell with two other people, eating potted meat for five days only to then suffer radiation poisoning. And then, you know, zombies and whatnot. No, thank you.

[youtube height=”HEIGHT” width=”WIDTH”]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_Zgyp4HgNU[/youtube]