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Fowler and other current and former Mount Weather employees describe an eerie complex that could be turned into the U.S.'s underground capital in an instant. Standby sleeping quarters were set up to accommodate hundreds of government officials. Because the country's Emergency Broadcast System could be obliterated in a nuclear strike, a radio-and-television studio was included so that the President or other key officials could address the nation, providing people with emergency instructions and telling them that at least some units of government were intact and carrying on. Diesel engines were installed to generate electricity in an underground utility plant called the power chamber. Refrigerators were brought in for food storage. A cafeteria became part of the complex, as well as a hospital.
An air shaft was dug from the main tunnel to the top of the mountain, and pumps and fans were installed for air circulation. If need be, the entire underground complex could be sealed. The entrance to the facility, according to Fowler, could be closed off with a so-called guillotine gate; behind it is a solid steel door that Fowler estimates is 5 ft. thick, 10 ft. high and nearly 20 ft. across. It rests on wheels and can be opened and closed electronically. Says former FEMA head Becton: "The entrance is such that if they were to pop a nuke, it would withstand whatever they popped."
Mount Weather is a city unto itself, with a resident complement of scientists, computer programmers, engineers, fire fighters, craftsmen and security guards. The government bureaucracy is well represented by branch chiefs, financial managers, supply officers, secretaries and stenographers. Mount Weather's communications facilities are an integral part of the National Emergency Management System, with a direct link to the White House Situation Room.
The job titles of some of the on-site staff reflect the unique nature of the facility: crypto-equipment operator, disaster-preparation specialist and attack-warning adviser. Mount Weather also has a simulation and gaming branch, which postulates various disaster scenarios. In all, more than 240 men and women work at the site; some are second-generation employees, and most are unwilling to utter even a word about the facility, having been sworn to secrecy. Beyond preparing to cope with the effects of a nuclear attack, the facility conducts substantial research into radiological instrumentation and is a focal point for disaster information. Eight engineers, technicians and scientists assigned to Mount Weather's radiological instrumentation test facility work on a variety of projects, including the development of radiation-measuring instruments used for both civil defense purposes and peacetime emergencies. The complex is also home to the National Emergency Coordination Center, which operates 24 hours a day, monitoring disasters worldwide, be they earthquakes, tidal waves, nuclear accidents -- or the ultimate catastrophe: the outbreak of nuclear war.