Billionaire Doomsday Bunkers Getting Bizarre Deadly Traps to Keep Out Poors

"World War III seems like it's coming."

Bunker Bonanza

How are things going with the world's very normal wealthy elites? Well, they're perhaps more obsessed than ever with building invariably absurd doomsday shelters that come tricked out with every conceivable gizmo you'd need to survive the apocalypse — or to keep out any rebellious peasants, reports The Hollywood Reporter.

Given the kind of money involved, the people building these shelters aren't your ordinary doomsday preppers. They're commissioned by guys like billionaire and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who's reportedly building a $100 million underground island bunker of his own. He may just be one billionaire to make headlines for their apocalypse planning, but take it from the guys that build these things: he's not alone — and business is booming.

"It got really busy, and it seems like the phone hasn't stopped ringing; World War III seems like it's coming," Ron Hubbard, the CEO of Texas-based Atlas Survival Shelters, which sells $400,000 prefabricated bunkers, told THR. News about Zuckerberg's bunker, he added, "caused a buying frenzy," claiming that his company is currently working with two billionaire clients of its own.

Castles System

President and founder of Strategically Armored & Fortified Environments Al Corbi told THR about one of his firm's most ambitious shelters, a veritable fortress which is only accessible via a moveable bridge. And here's why: the entire compound is encircled by an enormous moat filled with flammable liquid "that can transform into a ring of fire" on demand.

To balance that out, there's also powerful water cannons "that can take down parachuters, Apache helicopters, whatever's coming your way 500 feet in the air," Corbi added. If those aren't good enough, there's flamethrowers, closing steel walls, and a gassing system. Leaving nothing to waste, the dirt excavated to build the moat was used to form a manmade mountain as additional fortification.

Other clients like to trick out their mansions with state-of-the-art doors and hidden corridors. An engineer at Creative Home Engineering told THR of a decidedly James Bond villain-esque estate that featured a rotating fireplace as the secret entrance to an underground lair. Once you navigate the giant staircase it leads to, you can reach an enormous vehicle garage, a phone booth that lets you disappear, and a flight simulator. Elsewhere, there's also a dedicated security room and — to amp up the villainous vibes — a shark tank.

According to Corbi, many clients like to throw in tunnels that lead to another backup shelter as a precaution. And to survive the long haul, some even install mini-medical centers that come with operating tables and "every drug imaginable."

All that being said, this kind of doomsday prepping by wealthy people isn't new — but the paranoia fueling it might be.

"The newness is it’s shifting from the idea of nuclear ka-boom to protection against local threats," Corbi explained to THR. "The real threat is the power grid... In situations like this, sustaining your life is as important as food and water."

More visions of apocalypse: Zuckerberg Brags About Feeding Cows Macadamia Nuts and Beer at His Alleged Doomsday Bunker