well, that's really the legend that l ron hubbard created for himself. he came out of world war ii and his legend was that he was badly wounded in heroic action during the war. he was blinded and crippled. but medicine couldn't help, couldn't save him. he was left, abandoned. and so he healed himself. using these techniques that later developed into his book dianetics. >> right. and there's nothing -- nothing true about that. >> all false, right? he never saw any action, right? >> after the war, he did go into the hospital and doctors couldn't really figure out what was wrong with him. he had ulcers and con junctivitis. it was in this kind of crucible that he began to think how can i redefine myself. he got caught up in a black magic circle in california. he could see eccentric esoteric religious beliefs, it was an interesting community but probably a lot of fun. >> sure. >> so he was really enjoying himself. >> exactly the kind of place that you can essentially create a religion from whole cloth, right, yeah. >> right. so he was inspired by that. then h

. >> reporter: what began as a pipe dream for ron hubbard. >> did you hear that? >> has become big business. underground. >> we call this the backyard bunker. >> these days the fear market is booming. >> you can't build them fast enough. >> i can't build them fast enough right now. >> it is better to have a shelter ten years early than five minutes late. >> but unlike those era concrete bunkers with just the basics. >> these survival shelters come fully loaded. >> it has got everything a house does. it is just 20 feet underground. >> luxury bedrooms, big screen tvs, game room, underground pool you can have anything you want. >> you have seen people put jacuzzis in these. >> oh, yes. >> he is selling style in a world with no shortage of a pop lick tick possibilities. >> in the past it was just cuba and russia and now we have to worry about the biological attack or economic crash, nuclear fall youth, nuclear threats from korea and china. >> when people think about survivalist and survival shelters they think about people who. >> might be crackpots. >> i thought ther

we spoke to ron hubbard of atlas survivor shelters in los angeles.id business is booming, up 400% in just the past month. i asked him what happens if there isn't a financial apocalypse, do you get a refund? here's his answer? >> there's no refunds. you got a cool man cave after that. let's hope they never to be used for what they're intended for. i mean, just like [ inaudible ] you don't want to use them but you peace of mind. >> the most popular shelter is called the hillside retreat. that fits six people, 510 square feet, full bathroom, kitchen, den, dining room, the price $85,000. there are some 2 million preppers right now, multimillion-dollar industry that caters to these preppers according to different reports. there are worries about the government, and shutdown default boosting business like mre star the maker of prepackaged meals ready to eat saying orders in september shot up double any month from january to august. buying a shelter or a gun doesn't interest you, hubbard says at least have food on hand, some water, purification devices and

we checked in with ron hubbard, the owner of atlas survival shelters built here in california.on in washington builds. >> it's through the roof right now. people are scared. they're scared of the government defaulting, civil unrest, the constitution being trampled on. there's a lot of fears that people legitimately have in this country right now. >> there are roughly 2 million preppers and an industry that caters to them. they're worried about a government shut down and default broadly bursting business, companies like mre star, prepackaged meals ready to make. they say orders shot up double in august. and tracker school in new jersey said many of its students are concerned about a government shut down or financial crisis. so if biography a shelter or underground bunker doesn't appeal to you, he says at least have some freeze dried food and stay alert. >> josh lipton, thanks so much. surviving could be a mega trend. cnbc's secret location where decommissioned underground missile silos are being converted to luxury apartments complete with a pet park, a pool and gym. a full-floo