There's no point in having a nuclear bunker beneath your home if boxes of old Christmas ornaments are blocking the door. 

That's not an uncommon scenario in Switzerland, a country with a vast network of Cold War-era nuclear shelters, both public and private, many of which double as storage units and have fallen into disrepair.

But a rise in global conflict, paired with an increased reliance on nuclear energy, has the country once again preparing for a worst-case scenario. 

Switzerland is spending 220 million Swiss franc ($354 million Cdn) to make sure its shelters are in tip-top shape and ready to accommodate all nine million Swiss residents, should the need arise.

"Pretty much all Swiss people have a bomb shelter, which has been used for a long time as their storage unit," nuclear expert Stephen Herzog told As It Happens host Nil Köksal. 

"Now there are reasons to rethink this."

Nuclear resilience 'built into the Swiss psyche'

Herzog is a professor at the Center for Nonproliferation Studies in Monterey, Calif., who previously worked for the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich.

Nuclear bunkers, he says, are "built into the Swiss psyche."

According to 1963 Swiss law, all of the country's residents, including refugees and foreign workers, are guaranteed a spot in a bunker to protect them from bombs and nuclear radiation.

"Generally, if you live in Switzerland, you know where your shelter is, you know where your neighbour's shelter is, you have your assigned place," Herzog said.

Some of those bunkers belong to public networks, but many are private and built underneath people's homes.

"Over the decades since the '60s, when it was mandated to have these shelter spots that are built into every home in these private shelters, they've taken on new meanings," Herzog said.

"People use them as wine cellars. People use them as woodworking workshops. People use them as storage for Christmas decorations."

Asked if he's been in a Swiss bunker himself, Herzog replied: "Of course."

"If you're at a party and someone says, 'Will you go to my wine cellar and grab the next bottle of wine?' you're going to the shelter," he said. 

Prepared, not paranoid

But in recent years, global conflicts and changes to the country's energy policies have changed people's priorities. 

Nearly a third of Swiss electricity production comes from nuclear power. And this summer, the country's Federal Council reversed a 2017 decision to exit nuclear power.

Russia's war on Ukraine — and subsequent takeover of that country's Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station — have also fuelled nuclear anxieties in the country.

Louis-Henri Delarageaz, civil protection commander for the Vaud canton, says his office received a surge in calls from worried residents about shelters after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. (A canton in Switzerland is the equivalent of a province in Canada.)

"All of a sudden… we were indeed extremely sought-after with people wanting to know: where the shelters were, where is my place, is my shelter ready?" he said.

In that spirit, the government launched consultations in October to ensure Swiss "resilience in the event of armed conflict" and plan its nationwide shelter upgrade.

"In the coming years, the [Swiss] Confederation wants to remove some of the exceptions to the current rules and update some of the older shelters," Delarageaz said. 

That means making repairs to public bunkers and ensuring there's adequate space for everyone who needs it. It also means going door-to-door and inspecting private shelters.

Last week in the village of Bercher, Reuters followed civil protection officers in orange overalls inspecting a bunker beneath an apartment block.

One tried to shove the bunker's door to seal it shut but it would not budge. An air vent wedged between plant pots and a stone ornament was deemed fit, but an escape tunnel full of cobwebs led to a deep manhole with no ladder.

"This shelter is not usable in the current state," concluded team head Gregory Fuhrer. 

The owner will be given a year to fix the faults or else must pay 800 francs ($1,287 Cdn) for each resident's spot in a public shelter, he added.

Herzog says this work is the result of "increasing consciousness and awareness" around nuclear risks in Switzerland, but shouldn't be mistaken for paranoia.

"No one is panicking that they're going to need the shelters tomorrow or anything like that," he said.

Delarageaz echoed that sentiment. 

"It doesn't mean we're preparing for a conflict. That's not the message. But we have a network of shelters and we need to maintain them and make sure they're functional," he said.

"In Switzerland we have foresight…. There's a Latin adage that says: 'If you want peace, prepare for war.'"