Vivos
In times of natural disaster, war and nuclear fears — not to mention the Mayan calendar predicting that the world will end in 2012 — it’s only natural that people would consider buying space in luxury fallout shelters. Right?
While business is floundering in many markets following the Japan earthquake and resulting tsunami, in the U.S., business is booming in at least one area: doomsday bunkers.
Multiple manufacturers throughout the country are reporting 20% to 1,000% increases in inquiries and sales following the March 11 disaster that left thousands dead and missing in Japan, and it appears that people are willing to pay a hefty price to keep themselves and their families unscathed in the “impending apocalypse.”
(More on NewsFeed: Calculating the Apocalypse)
“Tens of millions of people believe in a literal apocalypse, which involves earthquakes, storms, disasters of global proportions and especially disasters related to the Middle East,” Stephen O’Leary, an associate professor at University of Southern California and expert on apocalyptic thinking, told CNN. “Some believe that this is just a turbulent time and they have to go somewhere to ride it out.”
But just because people are looking to escape doomsday doesn’t mean they’re willing to give up their earthly luxuries. We are Americans, after all. With your choice of disaster-safe products, including full-on personal bunkers ranging in price from $200,000 to $20 million, reservations in group shelters for a $25,000 deposit (plus incremental payments) or nuclear biological chemical shelter tents costing $9,500, we can now feel secure at any budget, while still enjoying the best of pre-apocalyptic times.
(More on TIME.com: See the cinematic visions of the apocalypse)
One such group bunker, which was created by Vivos and located at a secret location in Nebraska, is bigger than Wal-Mart, can house up to 950 people for one year and withstand a 50 megaton blast. Inside, residents will enjoy everything from a wine cellar to play rooms, as well as a bakery, pool tables and a computer lounge — because, you know, the Internet will totally survive. There’s even a holding cell for anyone who wants to start trouble in the underground community. (See a video of this bunker below.)
But despite all this, NewsFeed can’t imagine why anyone would want to be a lone survivor in a post-apocalyptic world. As much as we love planet Earth, life without people like Charlie Sheen and Justin Bieber just seems to quaint. But then again, someone has to be around to document the birth of the new world. (via CNN)
(More on TIME.com: Hollywood tips to surviving the apocalypse.)
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