Trump officials said to be buying bunkers, piquing interest in FL

Michelle Spitzer and Clayton Park

USA TODAY NETWORK

While the United States remains at war with Iran, the owner of a bomb shelter manufacturer said at least two members of President Donald Trump’s administration ordered bunkers from his company.

Ron Hubbard, the creator of Atlas Survival Shelters, told The Telegraph

orders have gone up 'tenfold' since attacks on Iran began this month.

'I’ve been inundated with calls,' Hubbard told the newspaper.

He would not name customers. However, he did divulge two are members of Trump’s team and most of his customers are 'Christian, conservative CEOs.'

While Florida isn’t ideal to build underground bomb shelters because of high sea levels, many residents are still searching online for safe room or doomsday bunker options.

Thomas Welch, vice president of sales for Conexwest said they 'absolutely' have seen an uptick in interest recently. The company is headquartered in Northern California, but has a presence all over the country, including Florida.

His company can turn shipping containers into basic bunkers or more elaborate safe spaces that include everything from wood floors to kitchenettes and bathrooms.

'We can remove the walls and stack them like Legos, we can do all kinds of applications,' Welch said. 'We can put it above ground, on steel slabs, on stilts, the options are endless.'

In the coastal town of Jupiter in Palm Beach County, Tory Hendry, owner of Hendry’s Concrete & Construction LLC, said, 'We’ve built bunkers up north, but none in Florida yet because we’ve got our water table so low. We’ve built hurricane rooms and safe rooms for customers in Florida, which is basically the same thing.'

Paul Viscomi, the co-owner with his brother Anthony of Viscomi Construction in the Daytona Beach area, said, 'I actually have somebody building an underground bunker in Ormond Beach.' Viscomi, who spoke by phone with USA TODAY NETWORK-FLORIDA on Thursday, did not have time during the brief interview to provide details.

Michelle Spitzer is a journalist for The USA TODAY NETWORK-FLORIDA. As the network’s Rapid Response reporter, she covers Florida’s breaking news. Clayton Park is a journalist for the USA TODAY NETWORK FLORIDA. He covers everything from insurance, utilities and home prices to groceries, gas and auto prices as the Florida consumer pocketbook reporter. If you have news tips, please send them to mspitzer@usatodayco.com or cpark@usatodayco.com.