Back in the good ol’ days of duck-and-cover drills and nuclear anxiety so thick you could bottle it, American cities (yes, even in Texas) actually built fallout shelters. And not the luxury doomsday bunkers that billionaires build under their ranches. We\u2019re talking fluorescent-lit concrete boxes with canned beans, mystery toilets, and enough chalky Civil Defense crackers to feed a school cafeteria for maybe a week.<\/p>\n
But here in 2025? Good luck finding one.<\/p>\n
Why Fallout Shelters Exist in Texas (Blame the Cold War)<\/p>\n
New York City Fallout Shelters, Remnants On Country’s Cold War Past<\/p>\n
Getty Images<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s rewind to the 1950s. The Soviets had nukes, Americans had paranoia, and cities across the U.S. started designating buildings as fallout shelters. You\u2019ve probably seen those little yellow and black radiation signs rusting on some old post office wall. That wasn\u2019t decoration. That was your survival plan, along with \u201cdon\u2019t look at the flash and try not to panic.\u201d<\/p>\n
In Texas, cities like Dallas and Fort Worth took this pretty seriously. They mapped out hundreds of shelters. Some of them were real bunkers. Some were\u2026basements. If a nuke ever dropped, you and 500 strangers would squeeze into a school basement and wait it out over board games and rationed peanut butter.<\/p>\n
What Is the Doomsday Clock and Why Is It Stuck at 89 Minutes to Midnight?<\/p>\n
If you’re unfamiliar with the Doomsday Clock, don’t worry, it\u2019s not a real clock you can check on your phone. It\u2019s a symbolic clock created in 1947 by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Basically, it\u2019s their artsy, nuclear-powered way of saying, \u201cHey, things are getting kind of bad.\u201d Midnight represents total global catastrophe, and every year, a group of very smart people decides how close we are to the end. Originally founded\u00a0by Albert Einstein, J. Robert Oppenheimer, and University of Chicago scientists who helped develop the first atomic weapons in the Manhattan Project.<\/p>\n
The Bulletin Of The Atomic Scientists Holds Its Annual “Doomsday Clock” Adjustment News Conference<\/p>\n
Getty Images<\/p>\n
As of this year, the Doomsday Clock is stuck at\u00a085 seconds to midnight. (the photo above is from 2025) Yes,\u00a0seconds. That\u2019s the closest it has ever been. Why? A delightful cocktail of nuclear weapons, climate change, AI risk, political instability, and people thinking \u201cnuking hurricanes\u201d is a sound plan.<\/p>\n
The clock started during the Cold War when scientists wanted to warn the public about how close we were to blowing ourselves up. Back then, we were minutes away. Now we\u2019re in TikTok-length countdown territory. So, if you\u2019re wondering whether you should take nuclear preparedness seriously, the Clock says\u00a0yes…but also, maybe invest in SPF 10,000.<\/p>\n
In other words, the planet\u2019s brightest minds have agreed: we are one awkward missile test or bad tweet away from turning this whole thing into a Fallout game.<\/p>\n
Are There Any Fallout Shelters in El Paso?<\/p>\n
Nuclear Fallout Shelter Signs In Washington DC Area<\/p>\n
Getty Images<\/p>\n
El Paso? We\u2026 weren\u2019t exactly a fallout shelter hotspot. There’s no citywide bunker map like Dallas has. No preserved Cold War emergency bunker tours like in Austin. What we\u00a0do\u00a0have is the legendary El Paso High School, where a network of underground tunnels was reportedly designed to double as a fallout shelter right under the gym. Rumor has it, the military once stored MREs there. Today, you\u2019re more likely to hear about ghosts down there than Geiger counters.<\/p>\n
There are also Cold War bunkers at Fort Bliss, but unless you have a military badge, don\u2019t expect to waltz in when the sky starts glowing.<\/p>\n
Could El Paso Be a Target in a Nuclear Attack?<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s pretend you\u2019re sitting on your couch watching old reruns, and suddenly there\u2019s a flash brighter than Texas summer sun. Where would the first nukes even go?<\/p>\n
White Sands Missile Range (New Mexico)\u00a0\u2013 Just a short drive from El Paso, this historic missile testing site is probably higher on the target list than your backyard BBQ.<\/p>\n
Fort Bliss\u00a0\u2013 As one of the largest military installations in the country, don\u2019t be surprised if it\u2019s on someone\u2019s worst-case scenario list.<\/p>\n
Offutt Air Force Base (Nebraska)\u00a0\u2013 Home to U.S. Strategic Command. That\u2019s where they\u2019d push the big red button in response, so yeah, it\u2019s on the list. Its not close to us, but its still a good fact to know. (Bush was in this bunker when the towers were hit on 9\/11)<\/p>\n
San Antonio (Lackland AFB)\u00a0and\u00a0Corpus Christi (Naval Air Station)\u00a0\u2013 Other Texas military bases that might get some unwanted attention.<\/p>\n
All this is to say: if you\u2019re hoping to survive a nuclear strike by diving into a 60-year-old public shelter, your best bet might be a time machine.<\/p>\n
What to Do If a Nuclear Strike Hits El Paso<\/p>\n
So what\u00a0should\u00a0you do if something nuclear ever happens? FEMA says \u201cshelter in place.\u201d That means find the deepest, windowless room in your house and stay there for at least 24 hours. If you\u2019re lucky, your home has a basement. If you\u2019re in El Paso, you don\u2019t. If you\u2019re\u00a0really\u00a0lucky, you live near a hill that might block some radiation.<\/p>\n
Otherwise? Maybe go ask El Paso High if they\u2019re opening up the tunnels.<\/p>\n
15 Cities Most Likely Targeted During a Nuclear Attack<\/p>\n
Nothing to worry about, but experts say these U.S. cities would be most likely to be attacked if America was the victim of a nuclear attack.<\/p>\n