Where A Bad World Means Good Business

US makers of nuclear bomb shelters are thriving on fears of North Korea

- Justin Mattingly, With Andy Sharp

Much has been written about the difficulties many high-cost American businesses face when trying to sell to customers outside the US. But export demand has never been better at Atlas Survival Shelters LLC, which ships bunkers to customers around the world from its US factories. Among its best sellers: the BombNado, an underground safe room that can be put under a garage, which starts at $18,999.

The popularity of the company’s doomsday fortifications is no surprise, considering the state of the world in general and, specifically, Kim JongUn’s pursuit of a missile that can hit the continental US. The most intense interest is in Japan, which has long been within North Korea’s striking distance.

The intercontinental ballistic missile used in the 28 July launch is believed to be North Korea’s most advanced yet, capable of striking US targets such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and possibly even some East Coast cities. But Tokyo is only 800 miles from Pyongyang, across the Sea of Japan, so the technology doesn’t need to be nearly as advanced or accurate to cause mayhem. “Japan’s going hog wild right now,” says Ron Hubbard, owner of Atlas Survival.