You guys are missing the most important part - a huge, expensive, and ethically problematic science experiment.
Vault 145
In this vault, and many many others, researchers were tasked with the creation of super-mutants. All the inhabitants of the vault were subject to experiments in trying to radiate the subject and combine their DNA with that of various kinds of animals. They started out with easier-to-control animals like dogs, cats and lizards. After the success of this they moved onto more powerful species, but the more powerful they went the more they rebelled back against the testers. Eventually they were overpowered but by then all the eqipment had been destroyed, including electricity generators. Because of this, all the subjects in Vault 29 ended up passing away.
So basically it's a vault of dead furries.