‘If the internet goes down, half the planet will come to a standstill’ – preppers will be last ones standing

August 2015 – LONDON – These days the world is a scary place to live in. If there’s not an asteroid on its way to obliterate us or terrorists plotting our imminent downfall, there’s the dangers of giant online data hacks or complete economic collapse. But when the end does arrive, there are a few people who aren’t just able to cope with the apocalypse – they’ve been actively preparing for it. These people call themselves ‘preppers’ or ‘survivalists’ and they belong to a vast underground community. When the ATMs stop running or the internet goes down, they’ll be the ones that make it out alive.

“It’s a huge community, especially in the States. But in the UK it’s becoming more and more recognized,” 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.”

“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 socialize online in the 21st century. “99% of your life relies on technology.” He recognizes 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. –Mirror