Blast bunkers, iodine tablets: How Finns are bracing for apocalypse
Finland’s bunker network feels like a throwback to a bygone era. But the Finns’ vigilance raises the question: if catastrophe came, how would we Aussies cope?
The eerily empty tunnels of a Helsinki underground bunker. Hans van Leeuwen
In an underground parking lot beneath central Helsinki, there’s a lot more than just spaces for cars. Behind 40-centimetre-thick blast doors are a set of snaking tunnels and broad caverns, hacked into the bedrock, 25 to 30 metres below street level.
The tunnels are empty, but for dusty piles of stainless steel sinks and the frames of 2000 sets of collapsible triple-bunk beds. The caverns are used for indoor soccer pitches and a children’s soft-play.
Hans van LeeuwenEurope correspondentHans van Leeuwen covers British and European politics, economics and business from London. He has worked as a reporter, editor and policy adviser in Sydney, Canberra, Hanoi and London. Connect with Hans on Twitter. Email Hans at hans.vanleeuwen@afr.com
