The British press are now admitting that doomsday “preppers”, or survivalists, may be onto something as the possibility that something catastrophic may happen in the next few months becomes more obvious.
As the global economy continues to meltdown and experts warn of some kind of global catastrophe occurring this September 2015, are the mainstream media finally waking up to the possibility that conspiracy theorists might be right after all?
Mirror.co.uk reports:
“Its a huge community, especially in the States. But in the UK it’s becoming more and more recognised,” explained Steve Hart, the man behind the UK’s top prepping website: ukpreppersguide.co.uk.
“Prepping itself is just another form of insurance. People have life, car or pet insurance for the “what ifs” – this is just looking at a “what if” from a slightly different perspective.
“What if a serious earthquake hits? Or a tsunami or a volcano or even a bio-terrorism attack,” said Steve, whose website racks up around 100,000 hits a month.
Admittedly, those situations are a little unlikely – but 59-year-old Steve sets us straight pretty quickly.
“What if the government starts acting up? That’s the number one fear among most preppers: economic collapse.
“The next thing you know the whole world is plummeting down to a position you can’t get out of.”
And technology?
“If anything to do with the internet goes down, half the planet will come to a standstill,” Steve told Mirror Online, citing the fact that we work, bank and socialise online in the 21st century. “99% of your life relies on technology.”
He recognises that many of these apocalyptic scenarios won’t come to pass, but calmly suggests it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Some of the hallmarks of prepping involve keeping stockpiles of food in your house – enough to last a week or so if the power goes out – and learning survival skills for how to cope in the natural world.
Top tips to start prepping
- Keep at least a week’s worth of food in your house. Tinned foods are best
- When it comes to vehicles, anything built pre-1980 is a better choice. It will be easier to repair in the event of an emergency because it’s mechanical rather than technological
- Get hold of the basics: A good sleeping bag, water filtration tablets and a decent knife
- He also suggests limiting your reliance on technology, filling up a couple of spare jerrycans with petrol and learning how to filtrate water. Seasons can also play a part – if it’s cold, how are you going to heat your house?
“Go home and try it,” Steve said.
“Halfway through cooking tea, turn of all your electrics. Try it for an hour. Or a week, and see how you get on. Have you got anything in the house that will let you keep on living without power?”
Prepping may be an underground community in the UK at the moment but, ironically, a few minutes on the internet will help those interested in learning more find out where to go.
The end of the world may not be around the corner, but there’s no harm in being a little prepared.