Entering the Shelter

Getting inside Ark Two isn’t as simple as opening a door and walking inside. First, you must be granted access ahead of time. But even if you have been granted access, entering the bunker is an ordeal.

You must enter through a rusty old door—the only part of the complex visible from above ground—which houses behind it a power generator, and the entrance to the underground labyrinth. Visitors—or future vault-dwellers then descend down 14 feet of earth, before they reach the actual underground living area—which houses a staggering array of amazing features.

Keeping it Clean

Making Ark Two safe for people fleeing a disaster doesn’t just mean making the bunker safe from a nuclear blast. Once the shelter is occupied at full capacity, one of the biggest dangers its occupants will face won’t necessarily be from above, but rather, from inside.

Should anyone carrying a virulent or infectious sickness enter the tightly packed space, the consequences could be disastrous. But how do you screen for sickness? Some healthy-looking individuals could be incubating a dangerous disease, and letting them into the shelter could seal the fate of hundreds of other survivors.

Screening and Decontamination

Bruce Beach’s Ark Two was meticulously designed with safety in mind, and the decontamination chamber at the entrance was just one aspect of its elaborate system. The chamber featured a stainless-steel double sink, a shower, and even a bathtub for the comfort of children and disabled individuals. It also included a dedicated food decontamination area, minimizing the risk of contamination and illness for anyone seeking refuge in the underground complex.

This facility was just one of many specialized chambers within the extensive labyrinth of Ark Two, each designed to serve a specific purpose in the event of a disaster, reflecting Bruce’s dedication to creating a secure and self-sustaining shelter for those in need.

Life Support

In order to survive, the inhabitants of Ark Two will need more than just shelter from fallout and radiation. To maintain any semblance of normal life in the underground environment, the residents of Ark Two will need to have access to freshwater, plumbing, and electricity. Luckily, Bruce had thought of everything.

Ark Two boasts an elaborate plumbing system, which runs throughout the complex and into an industrial septic tank—as well as access to a private well full of potable drinking water. The shelter is also equipped with several diesel generators—and enough fuel to keep them running continuously for three months before there’s a need to re-stock. Impressive—but what do other survivalists think?

The Preppers are Impressed

Bruce Beach is part of an international community of people who like to call themselves “Preppers.” Preppers believe that a catastrophic disaster of one kind or another is inevitable and likely and that in times of need, relying on government infrastructure may not be possible. Instead, they like to prep for these events themselves, making sure they’re equipped to deal with these situations as individuals and small communities to the best of their ability.

“When you go inside the bunker for the first time, it is a different planet,” said one member of the Ontario Prepper Survival Network. “It’s like you’re on Mars. When you hear about this concept of 42 school buses underground, to fathom it is nothing compared to going in and actually seeing it… It’s crazy in there.”

Feeding the Ark

Of course, one of the most basic needs Ark Two needs to answer is that of food. Even if everyone inside is healthy, safe and clean, without food to sustain the shelter’s survivors, they wouldn’t be able to last long before they’d have to brave the hostile outdoors once more.

Luckily, Bruce has thought of everything. The Ark boasts two industrial kitchens—one primarily for cooking, while the other mostly for washing dishes. Next to them, Bruce has placed two large storage rooms full of food and pantry items – but food supplies have proven to be one of the shelter’s biggest challenges…