Evac shelter
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An evac shelter is a building in Cataclysm. Evac shelters are often found just outside of a city.
Evac shelters always have a basement, which may contain clothing and useful survival items. If your basement is full of items, it's likely there's also a couple zombies in there. The main level of an evac shelter contains benches and a few lockers, which contain an emergency jacket, a folded emergency blanket, and rarely a gas mask. Some shelters may have a locked side door to the roof, which has a liquid tank as well as a solar panel on top.
There is a working console in the upper corner, which can be used as an improvised light source (less effective than normal light), and in 0.D (Danny) the computer can be used to locate the larger refugee center if there is one on the map. Traveling to the center and completing the NPC missions is a good longer term goal.
There always is a basement in each evac shelter, some of these are empty, others filled with zombies. So be prepared for anything.
Unless an alternate scenario is chosen, the player always spawns in an evac shelter.
Strategy
It's common to smash or disassemble evac shelter furniture in order to make weapons or reinforce the windows. You may have already learned that the emergency console, though not connected to anything, provides sufficient light to read or craft by. Likewise, a fire pit or brazier directly outside one of the many windows allows you to build your fire, light it, step back, close the window, and enjoy fire-based cooking with no smoke problems. You could use a similar tactic to easily collect rainwater using your funnel without getting wet.
Sleeping in the underground basement can also help keep you safe from anything that spawns outside. In short, with a suitably located evac shelter, you may have already spawned at a perfectly suitable home base. Consider your options before smashing your way to a nail board!
Of course, your evac shelter may be located in dangerous territory, such as near a swamp. If so, it may be worth evacuating! However, they are often far enough from towns to not have zombies loitering nearby.
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