Who’s building doomsday bunkers, and why?
Prepping for the end times isn’t particularly new.
Doomsday preppers are all around us and while many may be prepping for a day that may never come during their lifetime, it’s hard to ignore the recent uptick in some of the 1% who have decided to invest in a bunker or panic room.
Political, civil unrest are motivators
Earlier this year, Bill Rigdon, CEO of Building Consensus Inc., which specializes in building security, said he saw a particularly big boom in business due to growing apprehension around the civil unrest unfolding across the country over the past few years, as well as the upcoming election.
The most common thing he is being asked today is: "How can I protect myself with the upcoming election and the civil unrest that I'm watching on the news every day," Rigdon told FOX Business. "People are scared to death."
After the Hamas terrorists stormed Israel, some Jewish homeowners in America built dedicated panic rooms, according to Jon H., chief security officer of Fortified Estates, which specializes in high-end home fortifications.
While his clients haven't specified why they are reaching out, Jon told FOX Business that he has noticed an "influx of people reaching out" after particular events.
For one, he noticed an uptick in requests when COVID-19 first gripped the world and people were concerned about supplies running out.
FILE - Bunker blast door in FEMA Fed. Support Facility, (nuclear) doomsday regional govs. & fed. officials civilian relocation site until mid 1980's, now FEMA facility. (William F. Campbell/Getty Images)
Who’s building them?
Rigdon said that his clients include celebrities and those of considerable wealth and power.
Some well-known public figures who either have or are building alleged doomsday bunkers/panic rooms include Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Kim Kardashian, Tom Cruise and Shaquille O’Neal, although there are probably many more.
"They are either building bomb shelters, in the case of Zuckerberg and Bill Gates, or they are talking doomsday like Barack Obama produced a doomsday film," the team at TMZ posited during their latest "Strange & Suspicious" episode.
How much does a bunker cost?
While prices may vary depending on size, suffice it to say that building a panic room or bunker isn’t exactly cheap.
Some higher-end bunkers or panic rooms can cost millions of dollars.
For an average unfinished smaller panic room, for instance, it could end up costing a buyer anywhere from $100,000 to $200,000, according to Rigdon.
A door equipped with a ballistic frame alone could cost as much as $50,000 – and that’s the starting cost.
FOX Business contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.