ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF

Panic Room

If an alien invasion, natural disaster,
or nuclear war were to take place, your living room wouldn’t be able to protect you. With a panic room, your chances of survival will undoubtedly be higher. Here’s a lowdown on panic rooms and what you need to know.

WHAT’S A PANIC ROOM?

A panic room, also known as a safe room,
is a secure room usually installed in a private residence or institution to ensure inhabitants’ safety if an emergency were to happen.

EXAMPLES OF PANIC ROOMS

Sir Paul McCartney built a panic room for added protection after his friend and Beatles member John Lennon was assassinated in front of his apartment. His other friend, George Harrison, was also stabbed more than five times during a home invasion.

The Sultan of Brunei might own the world’s most enormous panic room. The said room is planned to have 100,000 square feet of space and will lie beneath his residence.

Madonna installed a $2-million-dollar panic room with 5-inch thick steel walls behind her Los Angeles office. The room is equipped with TV monitors, a phone, and food and water to last several days.

WHY SHOULD YOU HAVE A PANIC ROOM?

Although an alien invasion might seem far-fetched, there are various reasons why homeowners have expressed interest in building a panic room.

Protection from burglars/kidnappers

Protection from outbreaks

Protection from natural disasters and nuclear attacks

Protection from an abusive spouse or other family members

THINGS THAT MAKE UP A PANIC ROOM

What does a panic room consist of? It’s certainly not a Batcave and won’t have the luxuries of a five-star hotel but what matters is its ability to keep you and your family safe. Here are twelve essential elements of a panic room:

Reduced Points of Entry

The most important rule of panic rooms is to reduce points of entry. This means no windows and only one door. Having windows will increase the chances of intruders
or flesh-eating zombies breaking in.

Thick Walls

Panic room walls should be solid. Basements make the best panic rooms because their walls are thick, usually made of concrete.
If you want to go the extra mile, install armored steel panels.
Be warned, this is an expensive option, but if you’re keen on staying safe during emergencies, it might be worth the investment.

Strong Doors

Concrete Floors

Concrete might not be pleasing to the eye, but it’s an excellent material to withhold heavy loads. Most of the time, panic room construction uses heavy materials, so the floors and concrete foundation of your basement would need to be strong enough to support heavy items.

Soundproof Walls

You never know when monsters with
hyper-sensitive hearing or intruders will break into your home. Sound insulation does a good job of protecting your privacy because it will stop outsiders from listening in. This way, you’ll still be able to have conversations in your panic room and stay safe.

THINGS THAT MAKE UP A PANIC ROOM

Reduced Points of Entry & Strong Doors

A panic room is meant to keep you safe from external emergencies. A wooden door won’t keep you safe, but a solid door made of steel will. Make your panic room impossible to break into with bullet-resistant doors made of heavy steel—

the heavier, the better.

Thick Walls

Concrete Floors

Concrete might not be pleasing to the eye, but it’s an excellent material to withhold heavy loads. Most of the time, panic room construction uses heavy materials, so the floors and concrete foundation would need to be strong enough to support heavy items.

Soundproof Walls

Means of Communication

Have a two-way radio, a land-line phone, a cell phone, and a charger ready. Sometimes cellphones don’t operate through thick walls, so a land-line phone is highly recommended. If your intruders cut off your land-line or a storm causes a power outage, you’ll still have your two-way radio handy to communicate with the outside world.

Surveillance System

Have a proper surveillance system set up so you can monitor the situation outside. Make sure that the cameras are concealed well enough so intruders won’t be able to spot them.

Power

An essential element of a panic room is power. Most higher-end safe rooms have a self-contained power system. Your panic room would need to have its power supply affected by power outages from storms, alien attacks, or nuclear wars.

Ventilation

Although you want to avoid any entry points, make sure that your panic room has a vent that you can open or close for fresh air.

Plumbing

Depending on your budget, plumbing can be as simple as a portable toilet. If you have extra cash, you can install a septic tank and separate plumbing with a new bathroom. You would also need to stock your panic room with a lot of water.

Weapons

Unless you have a grocery store in your panic room, you would need to go out to scavenge some supplies once you run out. To defend yourself from hungry zombies, blind monsters, or creepy aliens, you would need to stock up your panic room with weapons.

supplies

If you’re lucky, you might have to spend just a few hours cooped up in your panic room. However, if tornadoes or nuclear wars were to break out, you’d have to stay in your panic room for more than a few days. Although a nuclear war seems unlikely, it won’t hurt you to prepare early.

Have plenty of supplies ready such as medication, canned food, water, and blankets in case disaster strikes. Also, don’t forget your favorite books and board games to keep you entertained!