The $3.5 million underground bunkers where the rich hide out from the end of the world, and coronavirus
It’s Doomsday Preppers for the rich. The places the wealthiest among us head for when a pandemic strikes and they don’t have to sacrifice any luxurious lifestyle traits.
This is Doomsday Preppers for the ultra rich.
Where those with enough cash go to hide out when a pandemic hits, when they think the world might be coming to an end, or both. It’s bunkering down to ride out the storm in custom made shelters that come with a luxurious edge most of us could only dream of enjoying in our main residences.
MORE: Home security fears spike due to COVID-19
‘Self-iso specials’ spruiked amid outrage
Airbnb pays $406 million to hosts to cover cancellations
The company that makes these shelters, Vivos, claims they are “the backup plan for humanity” and that owners can “survive virtually any catastrophe” within them. In survivalist slang, it’s called “bugging out”.
Demand for the shelters, which are available in the USA and Europe go for around $3.5 million each, is up 400 per cent this year, according to Vivos owner Robert Vicino of the in-demand underground real estate.
The dugout digs come complete with pre-stocked food, blast proof doors and helicopters on standby to fly owners to safety the moment Armageddon begins or the next category five cyclone makes landfall.
They also feature swimming pools and tennis courts underground, so that even if the world is ending for most folk, you don’t have to give up too much of your lifestyle.
What’s even more encouraging, if you can afford the price tag, is that the bunkers were originally designed by the military in the event of a nuclear holocaust.
RELATED: How landlords and tenants can avoid a financial hit
Why Aussies should be wary of housing crash forecasts
“All my customers know something bad could happen,” Mr Vicino told the New York Post.
“The dominoes are falling. We could be a month away from a meltdown. What’s everyone going to do when they run out of food and money? It could get ugly. By that time, it’s too late to call me.”
There is one network of Vivos survival shelters in Black Hills, South Dakota on a site known as Vivos xPoint and built by the Army Corps of Engineers in 1942 as a military fortress that housed 575 concrete and steel underground bunkers and could also store munitions and explosives. xPoint was so named because it is the point in time “when only the prepared will survive”.
Another shelter in Indiana, which was built during the Cold War to withstand a direct hit from a 20 megaton nuclear bomb (such a bomb would be 1600 times more powerful than the one dropped on Hiroshima during World War II) has housing suitable of accommodating 80 people and has been sold out.
Another shelter located in Rothenstein, Germany named Vivos Europa One, was originally built by the Soviets during the Cold War in order to store ammunition in preparation for a possible invasion of western Europe. It is carved into part of a mountain with plans to accommodate a zoo, storage for cultural treasures, and a gene bank for plants and animals, in order to reconstitute them after any possible extinction event.
Mr Vicino is also planning new bunkers in Asia and Spain.
And the good news for those of us who don’t have a lazy $3.5 million to squirrel away on our post-apocalyptic future is that there are much cheaper bunkers available and even some above ground real estate for sale aimed on helping you survive the world’s end. They are for sale for around $60,000 each for a spot in “the largest survival community on Earth”.
Originally published as The $3.5 million underground bunkers where the rich hide out from the end of the world, and coronavirus
Australia’s most popular homes in 2024
Realestate.com.au has revealed the most popular properties this year, including a surprise mix of abandoned houses and jaw dropping mansions.
Revealed: Qld home named the hottest house in Australia
The hottest home in Australia this year has been revealed, a sprawling South East Queensland waterfront mansion once used as the celebrity owner’s mega party house.
$60m move for most stubborn homeowner
A stubborn Aussie family who has turned down millions and millions for their family home is in the headlines again, with some developer’s potential plans slammed.