Plans for construction of a safe room and other items

[Patchouli]

No, not me, you. Have you built a safe room? Going through boxes of papers this evening to discover interesting items LH had stashed away. One stack of papers was from fema website that he had printed out (unbeknownst to me ever) on building a safe room. I think if he would have ventured onto this website (HCL) he'd have been here frequently. Anyway, I don't know much about construction, but did any of you ever see safe room plans on fema?
And @Neb maybe @Caribou and @Bacpacker @Peanut ...anyone who knows...remember quite a while back when I posted asking what these large containers of clear liquid might be and I thought they might have something to do with processing silver? I don't know what I mean by "processing" but also in my LH's interesting box I found papers (he had printed out of course) from a website on how to refine silver using an acid base. I guess if it doesn't apply to you or you are not experienced in it you will likely not want to or need to learn more. I still have what I think is the acid and who knows what the chemical make up of it would be at this point. I am not a chemist. My biggest curiousity is...where is the silver?

Also found target practice papers...why I've waited so long to go through his papers...

 

[Mountain trapper]

It could be nitric acid. I used nitric acid for separating mercury from my fine gold as it comes out of my sluice boxes. The nitric acid would desolve the mercury and leave clean gold. Then I would use a copper bar to recover the mercury and reuse it. Mercury will stick to copper.

Edit: nitric acid is a very toxic material.

 

[Peanut]

I don't remember pictures of large containers of clear liquid. Sorry, can't recall your post on the subject. Could he have been making colloidal silver?

 

[Bacpacker]

I haven't saw any plans for safe rooms. Just some thoughts I've had on building one. But other than in our basement this house isn't condusive to having one. And our basement isn't big enough for what we current use it for and I've got at least 2 other uses I'd like to do anyway.

 

[Patchouli]

I don't remember pictures of large containers of clear liquid. Sorry, can't recall your post on the subject. Could he have been making colloidal silver?

I didn't post pictures, just information describing them.
It is unknown to me what he was doing. He had retired, ya know, and was having health problems but trying to find ways to make money and keep himself busy.

 

[Caribou]

I have seen a few articles on safe rooms but nothing from the government.

 

[kd4ulw]

I looked it up, FEMA has a 91 page document online for safe rooms for high wind events. It covers considerations for basement and below and above ground shelters for tornadoes and hurricanes, taking in the chance of flooding for the type you should have. Apparently, you could get grants to help with construction costs.

I myself used a corner of the basement for a multi-use tornado/fallout shelter using online government nuclear shelter plans as a reference.

 

[dademoss]

No, not me, you. Have you built a safe room? Going through boxes of papers this evening to discover interesting items LH had stashed away. One stack of papers was from fema website that he had printed out (unbeknownst to me ever) on building a safe room. I think if he would have ventured onto this website (HCL) he'd have been here frequently. Anyway, I don't know much about construction, but did any of you ever see safe room plans on fema?
And @Neb maybe @Caribou and @Bacpacker @Peanut ...anyone who knows...remember quite a while back when I posted asking what these large containers of clear liquid might be and I thought they might have something to do with processing silver? I don't know what I mean by "processing" but also in my LH's interesting box I found papers (he had printed out of course) from a website on how to refine silver using an acid base. I guess if it doesn't apply to you or you are not experienced in it you will likely not want to or need to learn more. I still have what I think is the acid and who knows what the chemical make up of it would be at this point. I am not a chemist. My biggest curiousity is...where is the silver?

Also found target practice papers...why I've waited so long to go through his papers...

FEMA has a couple of publications on safe rooms, for hurricanes/tornados:

https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/risk-management/building-science/safe-rooms/resources

 

[Neb]

No, not me, you. Have you built a safe room? Going through boxes of papers this evening to discover interesting items LH had stashed away. One stack of papers was from fema website that he had printed out (unbeknownst to me ever) on building a safe room. I think if he would have ventured onto this website (HCL) he'd have been here frequently. Anyway, I don't know much about construction, but did any of you ever see safe room plans on fema?
And @Neb maybe @Caribou and @Bacpacker @Peanut ...anyone who knows...remember quite a while back when I posted asking what these large containers of clear liquid might be and I thought they might have something to do with processing silver? I don't know what I mean by "processing" but also in my LH's interesting box I found papers (he had printed out of course) from a website on how to refine silver using an acid base. I guess if it doesn't apply to you or you are not experienced in it you will likely not want to or need to learn more. I still have what I think is the acid and who knows what the chemical make up of it would be at this point. I am not a chemist. My biggest curiousity is...where is the silver?

Also found target practice papers...why I've waited so long to go through his papers...

I never saw any government info on safe rooms but I did an extensive deep dive into Youtube videos on the subject a few years ago.

The nature of safe rooms vary based on the threat. A safe room for tornadoes differ from a safe room in Israel concerned with terrorist rockets.

Can you decipher what your husband was concerned about?

One of the most interesting safe rooms I saw walled off the back part of a basement behind the stairs. The door was covered with a large mirror mounted on slides. One would never suspect a door was there.

The number of videos on the subject was limited due to OPSEC. The video I sae was posted by a fellow that had just sold his house so he didn't care.

I gave always been fascinated with hidden rooms. I can neither confirm or denigh having built any myself.

Ben

 

[Neb]

No, not me, you. Have you built a safe room? Going through boxes of papers this evening to discover interesting items LH had stashed away. One stack of papers was from fema website that he had printed out (unbeknownst to me ever) on building a safe room. I think if he would have ventured onto this website (HCL) he'd have been here frequently. Anyway, I don't know much about construction, but did any of you ever see safe room plans on fema?
And @Neb maybe @Caribou and @Bacpacker @Peanut ...anyone who knows...remember quite a while back when I posted asking what these large containers of clear liquid might be and I thought they might have something to do with processing silver? I don't know what I mean by "processing" but also in my LH's interesting box I found papers (he had printed out of course) from a website on how to refine silver using an acid base. I guess if it doesn't apply to you or you are not experienced in it you will likely not want to or need to learn more. I still have what I think is the acid and who knows what the chemical make up of it would be at this point. I am not a chemist. My biggest curiousity is...where is the silver?

Also found target practice papers...why I've waited so long to go through his papers...

Re: mystery acids

I know enough to be dangerous. Identifying unknowns will require some efforts. Maybe start with the processes to refine silver and the acids involved to narrow down the possibilities.

Care should be exercised because some acids should only be used in fume hoods.

Maybe @DrHenley could comment since he has a pHd in chemistry.

Ben

 

[dademoss]

Re: mystery acids

I know enough to be dangerous. Identifying unknowns will require some efforts. Maybe start with the processes to refine silver and the acids involved to narrow down the possibilities.

Care should be exercised because some acids should only be used in fume hoods.

Maybe @DrHenley could comment since he has a pHd in chemistry.

Ben

I am disadvantaged, all our chemicals were clearly labeled, identified, cleared for use and inventoried upon receipt. It was one of my many "Hats" when I worked.

 

[Neb]

I am disadvantaged, all our chemicals were clearly labeled, identified, cleared for use and inventoried upon receipt. It was one of my many "Hats" when I worked.

One of my professors in college had scars on both arms from his elbows down. Someone had left an acid used to etch metal sample for photomicroscopy in a fume hood. He bumped it and it exploded.

Ben

 

[Patchouli]

@Neb just noticing your remarks and I greatly appreciate the helpful feedback everyone has posted.

 

[montanabill]

I live in a area rife with mining and extraction....the montana state motto is "oro y plata" Gold and Silver..
Don't do the mining except for fooling around with a gold pan in cold creeks.
Contamination of water and soil is a big thing here so beware of your unknown liquids.. They used cyanide here and some old abandoned small mines still have a smell about them.
As far as sheltering.....the place we lost in a forest fire had a nice underground shelter I built with lots of plastic sheeting and timbers.. Mainly for earth scouring winds and fallout. The Kearny book has some good ideas and it is available as a PDF. Our current house has a half basement so I have precut wood to cover the basement windows and some other means to add mass over a corner room.
https://oism.org/nwss/nwss.pdf