I actually have some very heavy duty shelving made out of plywood and reinforced with 2x4's to cover a slit trench, in the event a bug out is called for. I also have 2 solid wood doors that I've kept for that purpose also.

Bonus points to the first one here to reply that knows why manhole covers are always round...

Jim

Because they are not square???

because a round cover won't fall through the hole like a square or rectangular one would.

Darn bsmith... you got it before I read the post...

Yup, a round one can never fall through the hole...

Ding! Ding! Ding!

Since a circle is the most geometrically efficient shape (i.e., provides the greatest surface area for a given perimeter) it is the only shape that cannot pass through an opening of equal size.

Jim

If I had time to worry about a nuclear event, the number one tool I'd want, short of a bona-fide fallout shelter, is a fallout radiation meter.

You need it to tell how bad the fallout is, how well your improvised shelter is working and if it needs to be improved, how long you can spend outside it, etc.

While those keychain radiation detectors or an improvised "KFM" meter would be better than nothing, they do not respond quickly enough to do an effective radiation survey. Although, it would serve to keep you busy.

If I was writing a novel, I think I'd have some of the characters take shelter in a warehouse. They would use a forklift to stack some skids of massy product into a very effective shelter. Better make it a canned food warehouse...

Fallout Shelters
Nuclear War Survival Skills
The best but big at 6 megs.

Fema Nuclear War Survival

11 Steps to Survival

How Fallout Shelters Work
Factors for Protection From Radioactive Fallout

Captain Dave The Nuclear Threat
Has several links to shelter plans.

State Maps and Information for Nuclear Survival

The Granddaddy Of All Underground Storage Areas

Domestic Nuclear Shelters

Just so everyone is aware, JCWohlschlag mentioned looking around for buildings in the area that were certified fall out shelters, I went to a few around where I live(not saying it's the same everywhere)and checked them out, one was in a school basement, it was converted to a class room, windows were added....no protection there, Another was in a office building basement, it was sealed shut, as in welded, so unless you carry a pocket size cutting torch, your out of luck there. I guess my point is don't always believe the signs, be sure to check them out prior to having to use them. Oh yea the third I visited was packed so full of junk you couldn't even get into it.