Finland has civilian shelters that can withstand a nuclear attack
HELSINKI, Finland – Explosion-proof, gas-resistant and protected from radiation and toxic chemicals – Finland takes its underground bunker network seriously.
This 60-foot underground shelter in Helsinki can accommodate 6,000 people. Darkening expectations of a dark, damp cave; it is bright, clean and warm with a football pitch, children’s playground, café and car park.
The city has 5,500 similar bunkers, creating an extensive network of underground facilities built since the 1980s.
And while they are usually used for parking, storage, sporting events, and more; Their real purpose is more ominous: they are designed to protect Finns from attack.
This Finnish shelter can accommodate 6,000 people, but there is an extensive network of underground facilities in the country, built since the 1980s.
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Tomi Rask, a contingency teacher at the Helsinki City Rescue Department, told CNBC when he said that all kinds of weapons had been taken into account in the design of the shelters.
“Explosion protection, gas resistance, radiation and toxic chemicals,” he said.
These bunkers must also be able to be modified and be ready for defense within 72 hours.
“We have to make room for people coming to the shelter, which means that some structures, some objects have to be taken away,” he added.
“It simply came to our notice then [fully] empty the canopy before we can take people in because you need some kind of equipment during the shelter, he added, explaining that a car, for example, can have its own space for a family.
Floorball field in one of Finland’s civilian houses. In normal times, this underground network is used for several purposes: for example, parking, storage, cultural and sporting events.
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The playground is also considered important during the protection period so that children can let off steam and parents can take a break.
These civil protection “may be one thing we can give NATO,” Rask added.
NATO membership
His comments will come as Finland prepares to apply to join the 30-member military alliancedespite decades of military neutrality.
President Sauli Niinistö said on Sunday that NATO membership would “maximize” Finland’s security after Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine Niinistö had changed Finland’s security situation, although he did not believe that the country was in imminent danger.
However, as Finland has an 830-mile border with Russia and the former Soviet Union has occupied it before, the Nordic people want to prepare for the worst.
“We have neighbors. And of course the neighbors can pose an immediate danger to us,” Rask said of the reasons behind these bunkers.