In his 2004 standup special Never Scared, Chris Rock explained the difference between wealthy and rich. "Shaq is rich, but the white man who signs his check is wealthy," Rock famously joked.
As the coronavirus cases continue to pile up across the globe, the rich are finding a way to rough it with us normal folks while the wealthy are flexing with their dollars in an effort to keep a safe distance away from any threat of the virus. Enter "survival condos." Located in an undisclosed site in Kansas, this 15-story deep missile silo from the Cold War-era was developed by Larry Hall, and has been turned into a luxury condo complex.
Hall started the process of repurposing a silo when he purchased one in 2010, pumped out 1.3 million gallons of accumulated rainwater, and constructed a state-of-the-art underground condo building featuring hardened concrete walls up to nine feet thick which was capable of withstanding a direct nuclear strike, and a five-year supply of food and water.
"The mission is to protect residents from a whole wide range of threats," said Hall. "Everything from viral or bacterial threats and chemicals to volcanic ash, meteors, solar flares and civil unrest." Add COVID-19 to that list because recently he has seen an upswing in interest in his Survival Condos.
These survival condos aren't cheap, fetching as much as $1.5 million for a 900-square-foot unit, or $4.5 million for 3,600 square feet. The prices can go even higher depending on how you want to outfit the space.
Regardless of which unit you choose to buy, these silos also come with amenities like a gym, swimming pool, movie theater, shooting range, and dog walking area. Basically, everything you could want as you wait for this pandemic to boil over.
