A home developer has suddenly seen a skyrocketing demand for bomb-resistant shelters following the recent exchange of aggressive threats between leaders of nuclear powers -- the US and North Korea. According to a California-based home developer, their shelters have already been sold out.
Atlas Survival Shelters LLC says it has delivered everything it had in its inventory after US President Donald Trump's "fire and fury" response to North Korea leader Kim Jong-un. The tension sparked after North Korea's state-run media KCNA reported Tuesday that the communist nation's leader is reviewing a plan to fire four missiles off Guam.
Survival shelters
In response, Trump said in a press briefing: "North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States. They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen".
The heated exchange of threats put citizens in a state of horror that a war between the nations and possibly their allies might break out any time. Privileged individuals in panic have turned to Atlas Survival who builds underground survival and bomb shelters.
Panic purchase
Atlas Survival's owner Ron Hubbard tells Los Angeles local news outlet ABC7 that customers have been personally visiting his shop in Montebello, California to purchase whatever home model is available.
"Instead of calling me like they normally do, they've gone in their car and they've driven down here to see what is available...(They) buy them on the spot, and I've never seen that in my entire career doing this", says Hubbard.
Bomb-resistant homes
Atlas Survival's shelters take two weeks to build, according to Hubbard. Models range from US$10,000 to US$1.4mn. The cheapest can be installed in a home garage, while the more costly ones can be built 20 feet underground.
The company's shelters are furnished with all typical household amenities such as kitchens, bathrooms and living rooms. Models also boast air filtration systems, power generators and other advanced electronics.
In Atlas Survival's website, the company claims that they are the sole manufacturer of such shelters that have been tried and passed a nuclear bomb test by the US Army way back in 1959.