When I was a kid growing up in Nebraska our safe haven was the coal bin in the basement. Root cellar sounds much better.
coal bin in the basement...”
Guess we must have been more modern and up-to-date than I thought. Our furnace burned on something referred to as “heating oil”. Not sure what it was except there was a big steel tank in the side yard that was filled up every fall. We also had a huge wood burning fireplace in the living room and one in my parent’s bedroom which was right above the living room.
Root cellar certainly should have been cleaner than a coal bin but I remember hearing the mice scurrying around and hiding when we would turn the kerosene lantern on. Really eerie shadows on the walls. Right out of Halloween.