Three Reactions to Shelter Life (1964)

the many faces of disaster from this Grim history we learn about prevention about relief and most important about the reactions of people under stress this is knowledge that should be brought to bear in training to meet possible [Music] disaster it's a straightforward practical task to deal with the mechanical problems of an effective fallout shelter so much mass between the occupants and the source of radiation so many square fet of space so much ventilation food water sanitary facilities but other problems don't resolve themselves in pounds cubic feet or any other number these are the problems peculiar to man himself his relations with other men his emotions and the way he responds to fear deprivations and unusual conditions a man or woman in our society takes a lot of things for granted more often than not he has a family a house or apartment he has friends and is surrounded by ordinary social institutions government police [Music] Communications Transportation personal possessions clothing food furniture and appliances personal services Milkman and Postman salesman and deliverymen repairman and a thousand other services and things so common he doesn't even think about them being there suddenly in a time of emergency in this case the threat of thermonuclear attack he has to leave many of these things or they're taken away in a public shelter he could have four walls in a ceiling with maybe 10 square ft of floor space for his personal use food carefully rationed and austere water precious and limited activities tremendously restricted he may be subjected to uncomfortable heat or cold low oxygen dirt odors he may even be separated from his family and friends and find himself surrounded by unfamiliar faces in a strange cramped and unfamiliar place in a real situation he would also know the impact of the attack the disaster itself these unusual conditions will affect the way he behaves the way he thinks the way he feels in the extreme these reactions may take forms that are familiar to any reader of news magazines such as irritability aggressive temper and sometimes even violence psychological withdrawal escape from the situation immature childish even infantile Behavior depression ranging from apathy and helplessness to utter despair in a public shelter a few individuals may react in any of these ways in varying degrees or slip from one to another at different times and in a shelter psychological sores left to Fester can become a plague back there need any help this is Charlie KY a young handyman working in a middle class neighborhood at the time of an attack the shelter is in the basement of a local building hey you you take you there do you have anything to well look why don't you take these cops and these chairs and things just clear up this front area move it all over by the side wall will you boy yes sir sir could you tell me do you know where that bomb hit I couldn't get home my mother's home with a baby I mean my sister's baby we'll clear all that up later boy clear the area now we've got work to do excuse me you there would you put one of those over here get me the alcohol first on the Shelf there the isopropyl alcohol [Music] can't you read I [Music] got what happened here Downs oh gosh is it all right listen as soon as you feel better fill out there and I left for you too okay hey hey boy how come you haven't cleaned up this area yet come on now get with him at first Carrie though nervous and excited is anxious to help and to please like most but by the end of the second day well 123 bottles of soda Po and not one sandwich we used to have Fresh Sandwiches out for the kids every Friday yesterday was only now I'd like to change thatly jail not no no no you don't understand mean gamma radiation it's supposed to reduce Itself by the power of 10 say 100 renkins then 10 but it hasn't that's because it's still falling it's continuing you sweep up tonight yeah sure Harry you sweep I don't see anybody else around here breaking that back but Charlie that's because we're more the intellectual type everybody doesn't share Carrie everybody doesn't share of Gab how much radiation you say we're getting here now about to an hour I'd say what you yeah r that turns your blood doesn't it what turns your blood Charlie huh radiation turns into water where do you take up these ideas Charlie that's not true Charlie didn't you listen to the radiation lecture this afternoon Lees I'm too old for school I never heard so much Yak in all my life since I've been here espcially from that fat blo hard GB har I think you ought to watch your mouth there women and children down here if you're too old for school why don't you act like it what a pack of professors say tan you know what would make us all feel a lot better including yourself why don't you run a razor through those whiskers and a brush through that shaggy hair Charlie Charlie Charlie I was only teasing not are you worried about your mother and your sister here do it now but I have to sweep up anyway don't [Music] I by the fourth day boredom has set in because Carri has become nasty the other occupants try to avoid him but real trouble starts that evening during one of those remember when conversations that are bound to spring up when people are confined and for dessert chocolate sup you know what the children wanted to do they wanted to pour over vanilla ice cream and have it top with sliced bananas you know what they got it I wonder if Charlie's trying to work up an appetite and just show off his muscles rest let me tell you something you can keep your chocolate sule or whatever it is you know what I'd settle for right this second what just a plain old simple fried chicken all of what Alla rolled in flour and sprinkled with parsley and rosemary Maring and salt and pepper and slip hey go ahead eat him eat him eat him e the biscuit pass them around I don't want it anyway I never saw such hungry people what you need Frank little exercise you're all scrawny I bet Miss Prince has got bigger muscles than you have don't Charlie cut it out with you Charlie hey Frank hey Frank let me show you something huh oh come on let me show you something come on let to show you something keep your paws off me punk calling a punk you come [Music] [Applause] [Music] Tilford has a can of candy for a son you imagine that private candy Mary Dennis age 51 unmarried a bookkeeper for 32 years now a shelter occupant theer killing me there's just the two sick ones left I'll bring those over making a man sign his name for a cracker you'd think we were handing out F Monon Mary how many biscuits did you give out need it for the supply record hold your horses I'm new in the food rationing was UN cleaning until this morning besides we got those squins to take care of yet how much will it be with that told you we haven't gotten to them yet Tilford my big Supply lady when I was at Allied Building and supplies she was under me couldn't keep the counts didn't have the heart to let her go go with her husband out of work all the time and behind my back she's applying for a position at farnum's and using me for a reference may well you know what Ben faram told her he said any girl that works under Mary Dennis has to be good that's what I thought of she she's my big Supply lady way they run this place Ben far I could have had a position there you know I think I'll run over and the Ben far where he say Mary farum is in Middletown it was here I throw those away why should PS go to waste the hours passed the questions about the attack back the Fallout and people try to keep themselves occupied when they can't sleep Miss Dennis tosses on the floor thinking of food and of her discomfort her head ringing with every click of the Checkers on the board clack clack clack why don't you two keep those things quiet while people are trying to sleep sorry Miss Dennis we try to be a little more quiet on another the game every man for himself say down here with their secrets that tilf fory kid with these candy and those two Checkers for lunch Checkers for dinner Checkers all night long grown men shouldn't know to be on the single girl side anyway [Music] by the fourth day Miss Dennis has become Solem speaking only to whine and complain she doesn't eat her lunch or dinner rations and refuses an invitation to play cards Mary how'd you like a game of bridge everyone has heard her displeasure and some are uneasy under her testy gaze but most of the occupants have fallen into a kind of routine and go about their business and their Amusement anybody seen the Checker [Music] War well it must be around here somewhere it couldn't have walked out of the [Music] shelter Bobby want C Cy just one only 14 [Music] left uh Miss Dennis have you uh seen the checker board I have not come on now miss Dennis you know where it is I'll be a good G we we we don't have much down here it's under here don't you touch me Dennis don't embarrass yourself now just let me have it huh I don't want to have you should take your hands off me take it take it take it stupid game and your stupid board in this whole stupid place I just about had all I can take take it easy Miss Dennison I'm sorry what's the trouble here oh nothing she just had the checker board very Comfort there look at that now that's not right I don't care if he did bring him in here himself it's it's not fair for him to sit there sucking on Candy while everybody else is going hungry [Music] here miss Den you can have them get out of here I don't want your own candy I don't want anything [Music] I I just want to go home two cards no three I'm sorry too Arnold sweeter has been upset from the moment he entered the shelter he has spoken to no one since the morning except to ask the manager four or five times where his wife and child might be a question that can't be answered yet his tension has been obvious and he's been wheedled and coaxed into a poker game with some of the other occupants know they they'd have been better off on a bicycle you Mr your turn I'm sorry what is it too we both check oh uh I've had do big plunges I think I'll raise two and two better see that and raise you two stick to you Joe I'm out I'll see it wonder if that broadcast was about New York Mr swed oh I'll raise that two more right oh come on what is this stuff what do you get off checking and raising you get as bad as playing with my wife I didn't mean to I don't play much I told you I I don't feel like playing anyway I'm sorry oh don't I know he's upset we're all upset nothing yet Mr sweter you shouldn't have let him upset you Mr swet oh that's all right can't keep my mind on anything crazy isn't I mean at home i' be watching the TV now I like to watch the TV when I come home at night my Bob in bed you know I thought sure they'd be in that warehouse shelter over on Cal street but they weren't on the list now I keep thinking to myself what if they went to Mid Grand Oak you know out there by the airbase who knows my head keeps going and going my wife's kind of nervous Bob so scared of strangers 5 years old he's a kid that likes his daddy well I I wouldn't worry about it now Mr sweeder well they're probably in the big Courthouse shelter we haven't got them L from them yet I think half the town must be in there I thinking I might take a run over there don't you dare think that there's radiation out there you know that you just ought to lie down and try to get some at information Mr sweeter hears and doesn't hear and at night he doesn't sleep he's hot and then cold he feels the pressure of the unfamiliar bodies around him the dark isolation of the crowded room and his loss of contact with the world outside the afternoon of the second day the courthouse list is posted on the bulletin board and the name sweeter does not appear on it dick they're all right they're all right no other name well is there another list not just yet we'll be getting others later Mr sweder Mr sweder can I get you a cup of coffee how's it going hey sweetie you want to sit in for a while [Music] radiation is decreasing looks like we're going to be all right in here still pretty bad out there H well it's dropped off quite a bit but still pretty dangerous out [Music] there late that afternoon there is a power failure the air becomes dank and humid activities are curtailed two more lists have come in and still no word for him smil pass she looked so from her two bare feet to the crown of her nut brown hair such a windome I was ashamed of myself but to see I was really there from Bantry Bay up to Der and from gway to Dublin no iown Shear of as she on Jo scratched me head and I looked with a feeling R and I to a [Music] hello shelter g73 yeah oh just a second I'll get PID okay go ahead Frank cwell Jan cwell not so fair Fran called well if there are survivors in one fallout shelter chances are there are many others in the same area that's only logical Pro how do you spell that p r o h a s k a proos hary r what's that Ramos Evelyn sweet [Music] Robert sweet is that it oh yes we got that this morning good thank you where's sweet is sleeping do you know no I don't this will cheer him up [Music] sure [Music] some negative reactions to living in shelters are to be expected and dealt with how obviously anticipation would come first training people in advance of any disaster so that they would know what to expect what they are expected to [Music] do next would be activity the do-it-yourself approach people in the first stages of alarm are often docile and willing to be led and some problems can be avoided if people are given something definite and useful to do information and spiritual considerations recre cretion and useful activity all help to build morale but in many cases people will have to be dealt with individually the shelter manager isn't a psychologist but he is aware of human relations he will find that understanding and Common Sense can go a long way how could it have been prevented in the case of angry young Charlie Cary or Mr sweer who escaped only into worst danger sickness and possibly death what could you have done to prevent negative incidents like these to cope with them or to encourage positive reactions