Original subtitles

Narrator: Across the country,

ordinary Americans from all walks of life are

taking whatever measures necessary to prepare.

Braxton southwick: Y mily is preparing

for a biological terrorist attack.

Bryan may: For the new Madrid earthquake.

Wilma Bryant: For a series of f5 tornadoes.

Narrator: And protect themselves.

Man: Watch it, man.

Put it away.

Put it away.

Blevs: Sp ght there!

Narrator: From what they peeives thfast

approaching end of the rld we ow it.

Daughter: Dad!

Braxton: Leave her alone!

Narrator: Next, we go inside the lives of

three committed preppe who

have devised extensive plans.

Al: Look at me.

Read my lips, I am not going

to drink my own urine.

Narrator: Gone to great lengths.

Jan beacm: I not afraid to have to kill.

Narrator: And made huge personal sacrifices to

ensure their very survival.

Kara southwick: Sometimes I think

he just goes a little overboard.

Narrator: The experts will assess their preps,

to see if they have what it takes.

Girl: This is what I'm going to look like.

Wade: Go ahead and jump in.

Narrator: To survive.

Jason beacham: If anything happens,

this will mess somebody up.

Narrator: This is doomsday preppers.

Al: All right, let's heart

with the overall.

Engineer: Okay.

You ready for it?

Al: Yeah.

Engineerheree go

musian: E, two, three.

Narrator: Big al is a musician living in

Nashville, Tennessee, who's usually known

for producing love songs.

♪ Singer: Whatcha going to do, ♪

♪ If there's no clean water? ♪

♪ Whatcha going to do,

♪ if there ain't no gasoline? ♪

Narrator: But lately his focus has shifted away

from romance and upbeat lyrics.

♪ Singer: Or if the power gets shut down, ♪

♪ And there's no food to be found, ♪

♪ And you got a wife, three kids to feed. ♪

Al: I want people to listen to

this song everywhere.

I'm just saying, "whatcha going to do?"

I'm just saying is, you know,

"how you going to cope with this?"

♪ singer: Get ready for the worst, ♪

♪ But pray for the better. ♪

♪ because when it all hits the fan you ♪

♪ Better have your stuff together. ♪

Al: What are you going to do when

you ain't got no water?

What are you going to do when

you ain't got no food?

What are you going to do when you can't call 911?

♪ Singer: Just living the life of a ♪

♪ Doomsday prepper.

Al: I'm prepping for nuclear war.

I sure hope I never, ever need this thing.

Narrator: The early 1990's marked

the end of the cold war.

President bush: We can realize a lasting peace.

Narrator: And the beginning of nuclear

disarmament between the former

Soviet union and the U.S.

But more than 20 years later,

both nations still keep some 2,000

warheads on hair trigger alert.

And some people believe that Russian president

Vladimir putin is once again making

tactical nuclear weapons a key part of

Russia's military strategy.

Al: There's a new sense of Russian nationalism

under Mr. putin and I don't think that the

Russians are goi to ber. Nice guy anymore.

I look at Vladimir and to me he looks like

Stalin with a suit on.

I'm afraid that if we get to a point to where

they perceive us as being weak or having

lost our ability to defend ourselves,

they're going to fire god knows how many

missiles at how many targets.

It'll be all hell break loose.

The first day a whole lot of bombs going off,

a whole lot of cities destroyed,

a whole lot of people killed.

The second day would be basically

waking up to hell.

And the third day would be,

"okay, what am I going to eat?"

Having studied mother Russia,

I believe that the Russians respect one

thing and one thing only,

and that is strength.

How much have they really

changed in 50 years?

Russia is Russia is Russia

and will remain so.

Narrator: It would only take 30 minutes or less

for a Russian missile to reach the U.S.;

half as long if it's fired from a submarine at sea.

So al's not waiting for missiles to

start flying to take cover.

♪ Singer: Get ready for the worst, ♪

♪ Ut py fothe tter.

♪ because when it all hits the fan, ♪

♪ You bter ve your stuff together. ♪

♪ Just living the life

♪ of a doomsday prepper.

Narrator: The instant big al sees signs

that he believes signal an impending

Russian attack, he plans to head 1,800 miles west

to a pre-designated bug out location.

He's looking for three main warning signs.

Al: One would be a run on the dollar.

Two: Closing of the banks.

Three: Collapse of the stock market.

That would be something that wou sayo me

"you know what?"

It's time to go up there and

"see what's going on for a while."

♪ singer: You might wish you had a gun ♪

♪ When you can't call 9-1-1. ♪

♪ You better start thinking now bout ♪

♪ The things you need.

♪ You better, better hope someday ♪

♪ That the joke's on me. ♪

Narrator: Big al's bug out home is located on

40 acres of land on a 5,800-foot mountain top.

It totals two thousand square feet

and is two stories tall.

But you'd never know it because

it's all five feet below ground.

Al: I prefer not to use the term bunker.

To me, it's an underground house

without windows.

Narrator: Big al designed his bunker to

survive fallout; Deadly radioactive particles

that can rain down for hundreds of miles

after a nuclear explosion.

In the aftermath of a nuclear war,

it could take months, possibly years,

to decontaminate radioactive sites.

So to condition himself for a long-term stay

underground, big al lives in his bunker for

three months out of every year;

staying completely submerged

for days at a time.

Al: I could stay in here for a month, two months.

Who cares?

Narrator: Today, al's embarking on

one of his annual training sessions.

Extended isolation, even in protected

environments, can quickly cause acute

anxiety, hallucinations, paranoia

and uncontrollable rage or fear.

Al: A week at a time,

you start to lose track of time.

There's no windows.

Night, day tends to blur.

Narrator: So when al's in bunker mode,

he looks for ways to keep himself sane.

Like experimenting with his 1,500 cans

of food on a recipe he calls "bunker stew".

Al: I pick and choose about

five different cans of goodies.

We'll start out with some green beans;

that looks good.

All the fixins.

Narrator: Al has enough cans of beans,

beef, corn and soup to survive 300 days

off bunker stew alone.

Al: Now I will work my magic.

♪ Et'sunkedown in the bunker and ♪

♪ Eat some bunker stew.

♪ All I can say deabunk ♪

♪ You've been a friend of mine. ♪

Don't just say "well he lives underground",

so he's a nut."

Am I nuts or are you?

Narrator: The water for al's bunker stew comes

from 13 Springs spread across his property.

But if nuclear bombs detonate nearby,

the soil above ground would become

radioactive from fallout for years,

contaminating much of the water supply.

So al keeps 1,000 gallons

stored with him underground.

Al: I'm not going to drink my own urine oy?

Look at me, read my lips,

I am not going to drink my own urine.

You know why?

Because it is easier right now to

fill a barrel of water.

Right?

Narrator: Another activity which keeps

big al's mind and body active

underground is chopping wood.

G al bunr is located in a region

where temperatures can reach 40 below zero.

So big al is building a stockpile of

10,000 pounds of wood to fuel his

wood-burning stove.

He goes through about a dozen logs a day.

Al: The trick is with a wood stove

is good, dry wood.

Nice dry wood is the difference

between you and freezing.

It's your life, literally because

without it, that's pretty much it.

Narrator: Making bunker stew and

splitting logs can only take up so

much of big al's days underground.

Much of the remaining time is spent studying

the news and all the research he's

accumulated on the former Soviet union's

nuclear program.

And he's learned that they once detonated a

50-megaton bomb.

1,200 times more powerful than the bombs

dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined,

it was the largest nuclear weapon

ever tested.

Al: We didn't know until recently

that the Soviets had, ah, assembled and

detonated a 50-megaton device.

It's frightening that mankind would be capable

of thinking about such destructive power.

So long Tulsa.

good bye, good bye Pittsburgh.

You have to wonder,

what else did they build?

What else could they be preparing to use?

Narrator: This discovery has made big al doubt

whether or not his 30 year old bunker can

protect him from the worst of a

Russian nuclear attack.

So he's cutting his hibernation short

to do a little remodeling.

Al: The worst thing in this world is a man

without any options.

It's home sweet home.

Lle, Tennessee, who has been prepping

for a nuclear war with Russia for the

last 35 years.

But he's concerned his elaborate bunker

may not be deep enough underground to shield

him from deadly gamma radiation

after a nuclear blast.

Gamma rays can travel enormous distances

and penetrate most materials,

making them the primary threat in most

radiological disasters.

To ensure his safety, big al's purchased a

salvaged fuel tank to serve as an annex

gamma-ray shelter.

Al: Man, ain't that pretty.

I love it.

Narrator: He plans to install the fuel

tank 10 feet below ground,

twice as deep as his current bunker.

Al: Ten feet is the optimum depth for

protection against gamma rays.

It is heavy, heavy, heavy shielding

and it will pretty much block everything.

Narrator: Al's tank is 40 feet long,

8 feet wide, and constructed from

half-inch steel.

Wh it mes to bckin gaa radiation,

a bunker made of steel only needs to

be 3.5 inches thick to do the same job as a

foot of concrete or a foot and a half of dirt.

That makes 100 percent steel bunkers a common

choice among preppers.

Al: I got news for you,

I'm not the only guy doing this.

They don't make them like that anymore.

It's a lot of steel.

It looks better up here

than down there doesn't it?

Oh man, this is just blowing my mind.

It's Christmas.

Welcome home, old friend.

Narrator: Fearing an attack could happen any

moment, al wants this new steel addition to

his underground home buried 10 feet

deep as soon as possible.

Al: You never know what happens

in mother Russia, do you comrade.

Do not be foolish.

I'm going to tell you one thing,

it's a matter of a clock ticking.

You only have trouble if

you're not prepared for it.

That's my message to America.

That's my message to you, Mr. American.

♪ Singer: Just livin' the life ♪

♪ Of a doomsday prepper. ♪

Al: I'm ready, boys!

Hello comrades, wherever you are.

Narrator: Big al, the experts,

practical preppers, think that your

soon-to-be-built annex is an cellt wato

further protect yourself from fallout.

Your food storage is a good start,

but because you're not equipped to survive long

lasting effects on the food supply chain,

you need a re-supply plan.

The experts advise that you start a greenhouse.

Al: I agree whole-heartedly.

Narrator: To determine how long you could

initially survive a catastrophe,

practical preppers has scored your preps in

five categories of 20 points each,

for a total possible score of 100.

Food: You have no garden, livestock or orchard.

11 out of 20 points.

Water: You need an efficient way to

transport it from nearby Springs to your bunker.

14 out of 20 points.

Shelter: 18 out of 20 points.

Security: 11 out of 20 points.

Your plan to expand your bunker even deeper gives

you 15 x-factor points.

Your total survival score is 69 out of 100.

You have an initial 12 months survival time.

Al: Well it's hard to argue with the experts.

It's the facts and it's just the way it is.

♪ Singer: You better hope someday that ♪

♪ The joke's on me.

Al: I like that, Tony.

Yeah, man, there you go.

Icing on the cake, baby.

I've had a little time to think about what I'm

doing right and what I'm doing wrong.

Well, I guess the first thing

I came up with was,

I need to work on myself more.

I need to get in shape.

I need to get up my endurance.

Rather than concentrate on things that can be

purchased, I'm trying to improve my skills,

in terms of being able to build things.

Narrat: A obal arsenal of nearly 20,000

nuclear weapons makes the possibility of

an incident a tangible threat.

However, the united states and Russia are

moving toward a policy of nuclear disarmament

aimed at reducing the likelihood

of nuclear war.

Jason beacham is a fifteen-year-old living

in the small tow of pto, missri.

Withwo broers, fami dinrs,

schoolwork and homework,

Jason's life is mu likwhat

you'd expect a small town teenagers would be.

But while most high school sophomores are

preoccupied with girls, grades, or sports,

Jason beacham has other things on his mind.

Jason: I'm preparing for anarchy

following economic collapse.

I do not think I'm obsessed with prepping.

I'm passionate in my preps because I do

believe at some point that

this can save my life.

I don't think I'm paranoid, um,

just open-minded.

Since I've started prepping

I've felt more safe,

more secure in what I do and where I go.

Narrator: Jason started prepping

in 2008 at age eleven,

as he watched the country reel from the banking

and mortgage crisis.

Jason: I started to become a prepper when I

was researching facts about the economy

and how it's falling.

Narrator: 51% of Americans believe a

financial collapse could happen in

the next twenty-five years.

Jason believes it's inevitable that rising

unemployment and bank failures will lead to a

devastating economic collapse at any moment.

Shellene: Jason has always been a worrywart,

has always been concerned about things a

typical child wouldn't seem to

be concerned with.

Jason: If everything happens and the

financial collapse leads to civil unrest,

you can actually,

there'd be two main groups.

There'd be the police and the army

and all that and then you'd have the people.

People who want what you have.

And no matter how hidden you are,

they will come for it.

There's going to be looters, marauders,

people just trying to, ya know,

overtake our home.

Shellene: Jason does take his prepping

almost to the extreme sometimes.

It worries me just because obviously

I'm a mom and I'm his mom.

Don'you er, sometimewishou w

like everybody else and wasn't worried about

those type of things?

Jason: No, if you're just like everyone else,

you're going to end up like everyone else when,

if anything happens.

Ke I my chances would be far better

than someone who, say, just at the last minute goes,

tries to get to a store.

It's just way safer to have,

just everything you could possibly need,

even like if it's odd things like gas masks.

Narrator: Jason knows it won't be easy for a

fifteen-year-old to survive on his own in

the lawlessness he believes will follow

an economic collapse.

But 's n goi to hiden thbasement

with his preps.

If the apocalypse comes,

he'soingo et it head o

and loaded for bear.

Prepping for a

cataroph economi coapsehat he

believes will turn the U.S.

Into a lawless wasteland.

Jason doesn't get an allowance,

and only earns a small amount doing odd jobs,

so he doesn't have much money for prepping.

Buet-mded eppe often scavenge uante

and discarded items thatan brepuosed

so, like many experienced preppers,

Jason constantly scavenges for useful ims.

Jan: I do prep on a very, very low budget.

I try to get whatever I can.

And sometimes that involves, you know,

like taking what I can without people noticing.

Shellene: It's amazing how many of

my things make their way here.

Jason: I know.

But half the time they're old and

broken and you don't use them anymore.

Shellene: Really?

Absolutely sometimes I just want to

wring his neck when I can't find my scissors,

or I can't find my rope, or I can't find this;

guaranteed Jason probably has it.

Jason: Um, like if my mom comes home with

groceries or something, I'll like take a can.

Eventually it adds up.

This is my food storage.

It's just stuff I've been able to take

or get over a year and a half.

If I needed this food this would

last me about a year.

Weot sll water storage.

I got enough to last me awhile.

Narrator: Jason believes that in the chaos that

will follow a total economic breakdown,

he will very likely have to defend his preps

against desperate refugees.

Jason: I would go as fars I ne to,

to defend myself against any intruder or anybody

th's ting to harm me.

M not afraid to havto kil

you have to do what you have to do to protect

yourself and your group orour mily

I'm thankful for growing up with guns and weapons

and knowing how to safely use

and operate them.

Narrator: Jason target practices once a week,

but only with shellene's supervision.

Pistols are often favored by preppers

because they can be easily concealed,

but the wider spray of shotgun pellets makes it

one of Jason's preferred firearms.

Jason: There's people out there who's never

shot a gun in their life.

If I practice and practice,

I can be able to get my shotgun out in a second

and be able to protect myself.

Whenever everything goes down,

financial collapse followed by anarchy,

stuff like that can save your life.

Look, mom, one shot, all right there.

That's a good shot.

Narrator: Some 12 billion bullets are

manufactured each year, almost twice as many

bullets as there are people on earth.

But if the economy collapses,

as Jason believes it will,

he's afraid prices will skyrocket and

he won't be able to afford more ammo.

So Jason also makes his own weapons

from whatever he can scavenge.

Jason: This is a nailed baseball bat with the

heads of the nails grinded down.

When it goes in, it will slide in,

but when it goes out, the hook-shaped design

right there can grab a hold of anything,

and kind of rip and tear and do damage.

Narrator: Today, he's demonstrating

his latest creation for his mom and brothers.

Shlene: So whats th?

Son: T's my maceball bat.

Elle: Seously?

Jason: Yea

shellene: Really?

Seriously?

I just want to be a normal mom.

I want to be, normal moms don't

haveacebl ba.

They don't.

Maceball bat.

Jason: This will come in handy when basically

there's people trying to take what you have.

Something like this can save you some day.

It will mess somebody up.

You know?

Shellene: Do I ever look at Jason's weapons

and question if he should have them?

Absolutely.

I would be a horrible parent if I didn't.

I'm his mom and we have a great relationship and

I hope we always have that but I have

absolutely no problem taking away everything

that he has and throwing it all in the safe

and locking it up.

Narrat: Ev wit hicachof wpons

Jason is concerned that enough desperate raiders

could still overpower him following an

economic collapse.

So rather than fight a losing battle,

Jason has a plan b.

Jason: You should always be smart enough to kno

when you stay and fight d wh youeave

and right now with my size and my age,

it's best to take what you can carry and um,

leave but come back when they

ha the guard dn.

Shellene: So Jason, you going to take your mom

with you when you bug out?

Jason: No.

Shellene:.

Jason: No.

Shellene: Why not?

Jason: Because.

Shellene: Because why?

I am an asset.

Jason: You got to choose smart.

Numbers can actually bbad.

The ideal group size.

Shellene: You'd leave your mom?

Jason: Maybe.

Shellene: No, I would not leave my mom.

Jason: No, I would not leave my mom.

Shellene: Thank you.

Jason: I can always imagine a scenario

where I'd have to leave by myself.

Anything can happen and anything can go wrong.

And I believe what can go wrong, will go wrong.

Narrator: Jason doesn't want to be a lone wolf,

if he can avoid it, so he's decided to

recruit more preppers his own age.

But the initiation test he designs for his

newest member might end in disaster.

Prepper living in rural Missouri.

To survive the anarchy he believes will

follow an inevitable financial collapse,

he's forming a "getut ododg"

group with his friends, dilan and Austin.

Jason: I do think it's possible to survive on

your own, but when you're my age and size

it's probably smarter to survive with a team.

Narrator: Jason and dilan have been

prepping together for one year.

But Austin is a new recruit.

Tonight, Jason is running a mock bug-out

to see if Austin has what it takes to make it

as a full-fledged member of his survival team.

Jason: We set up a bunch of base rules, you know,

stay quiet, stay camouflaged,

and then survive the best we can off our

bug out bags and not packing anything else.

This is a big night for Austin because this is

when he proves himself and shows us whether or

not it's right for us to keep him in the group.

Narrator: If Austin passes the test,

he'll earn what Jason calls his

"prepping colors".

Jason: The prepping colors are actual strips

of camouflage cloth.

And they symbolize just being a member of

something bigger.

Narrator: But if Austin slows them down or

makes poor decisions, he's out.

Jason: Snakes are like all muscle.

Aust: I know they are edible,

but they don't have no parasites or anything?

Jason: Um, no, that's why you cook them.

Austin: Cook it out?

Jason: Yeah, cook it.

Narratorjasoknow that in the event of an

economic collapse, his team will be able to

survive three weeks without food and three

days without water, but finding shelter could be

an immediate necessity.

So he's tasked Austin with finding them

adequate cover for the night.

Jan: Atin eds to show us that he can be

smart and basically be able to the same things

that we do on the same skill that we do them.

Austin: This one's secure,

and has a door and everything in it.

Dilan: Well, how big is it?

Austin: It's got three rooms,

and one room has a big, secure door.

The only weakness on it is the windows in the

back, but we can cover it up with this plywood

I just brought in.

Austin: Will that work?

Is that a plan?

Jason: Yeah, let's do that.

Austin: Okay.

Narrator: Austin's discovery has satisfied

the group's basic need for shelter from the

elements and attack.

But the ability to make fire is an essential

prep for any bug-out into the wild.

It provides heat and light,

and the ability to cook, sterilize and signal.

The boys chose to build their fire inside to

keep it out of the elements.

Austin: Hey, let's build our fire pit down so the

whole building don't catch on fire.

This is going to burn big.

Jason: This is brick.

It will be fine.

Here.

Want me to light more pieces?

Austin: Hey, the flames are reaching

the wood up there.

Jason: It's fine.

Once the wood starts to darken,

that'Shen ta it off.

This actually.

Austin: You don't want to leave this

open for ventilation?

Narrator: Soon the re is soigh it

threatens the entire shelter.

Austin: Do you have water?

It's getting black!

Jaso dude, is fi.

Narrator: Dilan breaks the window to try to get

rid of the smoke, but that only feeds

the fire more oxygen.

Jason: This isn't making us look too good.

I'm having like a minor panic attack.

The fire was kind of, got more out of

control than we thought it would.

Narrator: Austin dons a gas mask and

extinguishes the fire before it

destroys their shelter.

Jason: Austin showed his common sense and

just ability to pick certain things out

and notice them.

Good thing this was a sim.

You know, learning from our mistakes.

Almost burned down a building.

Austin: I told you guys that it was too tall

before and we should lower it a little,

and you guys said that was okay.

Jason: You showed that you have common sense

and that's important.

When everything happens, that's,

common sense and just brains is

something you need.

You can have these off my bag.

It's been on there for a while,

since I first started this.

You've earned them.

Austin: Thank you.

Dilan: Good job, part of the team.

Jason: Congratulations, man.

Austin: Thanks.

Jason: Every time we do run a sim we learn what

we need to work on and what we got good.

We did learn that we have it pretty solid

with protecting and being able to make a

shelter that we stay in.

I do believe our group will be ready after

everything happens.

Narrator: Jason, the experts at

practical preppers think your survival

group is an excellent source of security,

but could be made even more effective with a

communication plan.

You should invest in affordable two way

radios, which will let you communicate with

your family and friends.

Jason: I will look into getting something like

that when I have the money.

Narrator: Your wilderness survival

drills will prove invaluable should you

need to bug out in a disaster.

But you should learn how to build a fire pit that

will be safe and let you maintain a low profile.

To determine how long you could initially

survive a catastrophe, practical preppers has

scored your preps in five categories of 20

points each, for a total possible score of 100.

Your mother knows how to can food;

this is a skill you should learn.

9 out of 20 points.

Water: 16 out of 20 points.

Shelter: You should devote more time to

learning wilderness and survival skills.

9 out of 20 points.

Security: 8 out of 20 points.

In addition, you are young and in good shape.

This gives you a big edge.

The experts give you eight x-factor points.

Overall you get a 50 out of 100.

You have four months initial survival time.

Jason: That's a good assessment,

but I'm, I'm young.

And I'm way ahead of most people my age and

you'd be surprised how long I could last.

Narrator: The strong recession beginning in

2008, the European debt crisis,

and continued divisiveness among

politicians have made some economists doubtful

about the future of the economy.

However, while some fear it is

once again stalling, few believe a total

economic collapse is likely.

Narrator: Braxton southwick and his family

are always on the move.

A former professional bike and truck racer,

Braxton, his wife Kara, and their six children

can often be found out on the trails.

But for the southwicks', off-road safety involves

much more than just helmets and pads.

Braxton: I'm preparing my family for a

biological terrorist attack.

A lot of people think if you're a prepper,

you're crazy.

And it's just not true.

There's so many families like us.

My daughters do dance,

we have a nine to five job.

We're an all American family.

But at night, we prep.

Ys!

Les ha a family meeting.

Jayden: We'll have like an hour talk about guns

and bullets and the whole plan.

Treston: When the world comes to an end,

there's going to be people looking for food,

breaking into houses, you know,

and it's really important to

protect our family.

Narrator: Braxton southwick is a mechanic

living in the suburbs outside of

salt lake city, Utah.

With the "war on terror" stretching into

its 11th year, Braxton believes it's only

a matter of time before the U.S.

Gets hit with what he views as the mother of

all biological weapons, smallpox.

Braxton: Al qaeda and the other terrorist groups

want nothing more than to destroy America.

The last couple years I startedoinresech

about terrorist attacks, biological weapons.

If a terrorist organization wanted to

use biological weapon,

smallpox would be number one on their list.

Smallpox is, for the lack of a better word,

the most beautiful biological

weapon there is.

Narrator: Smallpox is a virus that causes a rash

and bumps that look like chickenpox,

but are much more deadly.

Braxton: When a person is exposed to smallpox

they start getting blisters, headaches,

nausea, fever.

And once the symptoms show up,

you're already dead.

Narrator: Smallpox is so contagious and

deadly that in the 1900s it killed more people than

all 20th century wars combined.

But it was completely eradicated

worldwide in 1977.

As a result, vaccinations to prevent

contracting the disease are no longer given

to the general public.

Braxton fears that if there is a smallpox

attack, the country will be caught unprepared.

According to government simulations,

a smallpox attack in three states could lead

to at least 16,000 people infected and

1,000 dead across half the U.S.

Within three weeks.

Braxton: They'll find very quickly that it

can't be contained.

That the entire country will

be infected within weeks.

You will see complete and

total panic from all Americans.

You will see supermarkets cleaned

out within hours, a full-size costco

cleaned out in half a day.

And people killing each other over

a can of corn.

Narrator: Smallpox is so contagious and deadly

that a single confirmed case of it is I it

takes to allow the government to begin

implementing isolation and

quarantine procedures.

Braxton dreads the possibility of being

trapped in his home,

surrounded by the infected.

So he plans to get out of town the second he

suspects there's a problem.

Braxton: My family's plan is to bug

out to our cabin, which is located up

in the mountains and away from the population.

Taking our food, our weapons,

and all our clothing and leaving the house.

Narrator: But Braxton isn't convinced every

member of his family takes the smallpox

threat as seriously as he does.

Kara: I don't know if I believe in

doomsday or not.

Braxton tends to be very ocd in that he gets one

idea in his head and that hisig pject

for the next couple of years.

I'm more of the realist.

I keep things grounded more than Braxton does.

He likes to be more of the idealist.

Narrator: So Braxton's setting up a surprise

to show them just how deadly he believes

the threat can be.

Jayden: What are you doing?

Narrator: Brton uthwk is prepping

his family for what he believes is an eminent

terrorist attack on U.S.

Soil with the deadly smallpox virus.

He fears smallpox will sweep across the U.S.

In just weeks following the first attack,

infecting tens of thousands.

Braxton: If salt lake city was to be effected

nobody'll be going out to the superrket

to the gas station.

Nobody'll be going to work.

Slowly the sewer plants will shut down.

The water treatment plants, the electricity.

After people have been in their houses for

three to four weeks, the cabinets are bare,

and they're starving and needing water.

You will have to deal with some horrible,

wicked, evil people.

Narrator: So Braxton's plan is to bug out to a

cabin in the mountains with his wife and his

six kids before they get trapped among the chaos

by a military blockade.

Braxton: They woultry d

quarantine the outbreak.

The entire city would be shut down.

We would be locked in our houses.

You would not be able to leave the city.

Narrator: If there is a smallpox attack,

Braxton fears he won't have much time to get

his family and their preps

out of the hot zone.

The response time for the national guard's

chemicalnd biological response

force is only about 24 hours.

So today, Braxton's running a drill to

ensure his family can get out of town before

national guard troops show up

to turn them back.

Braxton: We're bugging out to the cabin and

I want this to be serious.

We're going to see how well we are

as a family doing this.

First and foremost is bug out bags.

Okay, everybody get your bug out bags and

it goes in front of the trailer.

After that, boys, I want you to get your guns.

Holster them on your side;

the rifles go in next.

Then, girls, food storage.

Start bringing up the food storage;

it goes in the trailer next.

Once the food storage is up I want you

to pack your clothes.

I want cold weather clothes.

I know it is summertime but we

might not be coming back.

Kara: Sometimes I think he just goes a little

overboard and we don't need to practice these

kinds of things, but I decided to humor him,

because he said if I went along with his bug

out scenario, then he would take me to dinner

where I wanted to go next week,

and basically be at my Beck and

call for an entire weekend.

Braxton: Does anyone have any questions?

We all know what we're doing?

Kids: Yes.

Braxton: Okay, I want it fast.

You guys ready?

Let's do it.

Right now, I have thirteen guns.

Handns.

Mi-aomats assault fles

and sniper gun, which is a thirty aught six.

Braxy: What are we grabbing?

Axto let grabhe crcoa

ab ts ba

every one of these buckets go on.

Pile it righther on the bottom.

Wifand I have worked really hard on

our food storage.

We have a huge amot footo stain

us f quite a long time.

Naator: The southwic' beeve ey

have enough food to last their family

of eig oneear the road.

Braxton: That's it

les pi it into the back.

Narrator: But Braxton can't predichow ng a

potentiasmalox oureak could last,

soe's ising chickens to keep him constantly

supplied with fresh eggs.

Braxton: Come on guys let's get in.

Everybody thinks, oh your chickens stink,

but actually chickens don't stink.

They're super easy to raise.

They eat anything.

They love French toast, pizza.

We have even fed them chicken.

But don't tell them that.

It might freak some of them out.

Narrator: Even though smallpox is sometimes

confused with chickenpox,

chickens are not susceptible to the

smallpox virus.

Braxton: If you have a total collapse and

there's no supermarkets, if you're getting 8

fresh eggs a day, I mean it's invaluable.

Kara: Our big family joke is that when the

time comes and we have to grab our bug out

bags, we're all going to grab a chicken with our

bug out bag and run down the road.

Braxton: Okay, lift this up.

Narrator: Braxton's built a portable chicken

coup that he can bug out with at

a moment's notice.

Braxton: Pick your side up more, Colton.

Drop it.

Sle itn.

My family has biological suits.

Everybody has a suit that you can strip off

and also biological mask to filter the air so

we're not breathing it in.

Kara: It's huge.

Is iwhat I'm going to look like.

Narrator: Braxton urgently wants

to get on the road.

In the event of a smallpox attack 2,000

national guard troops could be on the

ground in a day to cut off the city.

Braxton: Every road out of the city would be

stopped by the military with checkints

so it'd be important for us once the outbreak is

announced, that we have to leave immediately.

Narrator: But not everyone shares his

see of urgency.

Kara: Really?

This is what we're going to do with

our day today?

How fast can we get this done?

Narrator: So Braxton's call in favoto

demonstrate what Ty COD albe in for,

if they lag behind.

Braxton: Braxi, you have a copy?

Brax Jr: Copy.

Yeah what's up?

Braxton: Just keep going until they stop you.

Oh my gosh.

Naatorbraxn southwick

is prepping his family for a

biological teorisatta.

Braxton: Let's do it.

Narrator: He fears America's enemies

will target the U.S.

With the smallpox virus, and that he

and his family wil be tpped in eir

home under a military quarantine.

But not every member of the southwick clan

thinks the smallpox threat is

as serious as Braxton does.

Kara: Normally when he comes to me with any of

his big ideas I roll my eyes and say,

"are wgointalkbout th aga, rely?

Can we talk about something else, please?"

Narrator: Today is their first family

bug-out drill.

But Braxton wants them to see what

they could all be in for,

if they don't take the smallpox threat seriously.

He hasn't told them that he's arranged for them

to run into a surprise military checkpoint.

Braxton: They're questioning Braxton on,

probably about where he's been and

what they're going to do with us.

Wade: You went through the potentially

contaminated area.

What we will have to do is do a check to

determine you have no contamination before you

go into the clean area on the far side

of this barrier.

What do you have in the back?

Tristan: I just have chickens.

Wade: The chickens may have to stay here.

We don't know if they're coamined onot.

If they are, they may have to be

disposed of at this location.

Narrator: The detection gun can identify nerve

agents, and other chemical warfare agents,

even gamma radiation.

But there is currently no detector that can

immediatelidenfy a ological agent

like smallpox.

Wade: Did you come into contact with

anything other than your family today?

Jayden: No.

No, I don't think so.

Wade: Okay, I'm going to have you sit

on this backboard.

Narrator: Anyone showing signs of viral infection

would immediately be isolate

Jayden: Dad!

Narrator: Everyone else is put through the

decontamination station.

Wade: First thing to do is take off

all your clothes.

Take the sponge.

Use the sponge to scrub yourself

down from head to toe.

Make sure you don't get anything in your eyes.

Go ahead and jump in.

Narrator: If exposed to a chemical agent,

experts advise disposing of your

clothing immediately to remove the majority

of any contamination.

Then, a three-to-five-minute

shower, washing both skin and

hair with soapy water,

is the most common method of decontamination.

Even liquid dishwashing soap or laundry

detergent can be used in a pinch,

so long as decontamination is done

as quickly as possible following exposure.

Wade: All right.

He's clean.

Step on through.

Narrator: Braxton set up this drill so that

master sergeant Wade Francis from the

Utah national guard's chemical and biological

emergency response unit could evaluate his

family's preparedness.

Wade: I think Braxton held up really,

really well today.

He did a really good job,

had a lot of control with his family,

and was real enthusiastic about it.

I think they've got a good plan and they've

got an idea of what they're going to do.

But for biological attack,

they still need some better, ah,

protective equipment.

The one thing we did do was brinyou t so

better, ah, protective clothing to wear,

little bit more adequate to what we're preparing

for in this type of a scenario.

This is a tychem-f.

It does a far better job with chemical,

biological, and radiological protection.

This is a powered,

air-purifying respirator.

Uses a blower motor,

has a battery pack attached to it and

blows the air right into your face.

Kara: When Braxton said we're going to run a bug

out drill, I thought to myself

"oh, good grief, here we go again."

But it was definitely different,

not what I expected.

I think it's beneficial really for the kids to

see what they need to do to be prepared.

I think going forward this experience has

really been eye opening for our family.

We'll definitely be better prepared to

execute our game plan and be able to get

through whatever gets thrown at us.

Braxton: I learned a ton,

and I'm going to change a lot after today.

Narrator: Braxton, the experts at

practical preppers have assessed your preps.

Your food storage methods and

chicken Coop are great.

Your water stores are adequate;

however your re-supply plan relies on small

rain catching barrels that provide a

limited amount of unpurified water.

You need to increase your supply

of healthy drinking water.

Braxton: Yeah, I, I completely agree with

that and I'm working towards a better water

solution for my family.

Narrator: Your family's training with firearms

is excellent for security,

but not having a bunker or safe room in your

home could be a great danger to

your family's safety.

Braxton: Our original plan is to

bug out to the cabin.

I'm not going to build a bunker here.

Narrator: To determine how long you could

initially survive a catastrophe,

practical preppers has scored your preps in

five categories of 20 points each,

for a total possible score of 100.

Food: 15 out of 20 points.

Your water plan at home is unsustainable.

10 out of 20 points.

Shelter: 18 out of 20 points.

Your large family means more able-bodied hands

to help with security: 14 out of 20 points.

In addition, your extensive planning with

your family gives you 14 x-factor points.

Overall, you get a 71 out of 100.

You have 13 months initial survival time.

Braxton: I got to tell you I'm

disappointed with that score.

I would have thought it would have

been a little bit higher.

Hey, national geograic!

Since you guys were last here we've

made a lot of changes.

We've added 300 gallons of water to

our food storage,

and I got a new filtration system that

does two gallons per hour,

and I also did a lot of research,

and I want to get a milking goat to add to

the southwick farm in the backyard.

Narratorsincits eradatioin t

1970s, the only known samples of the smallpox

virus are kept inwo ls,

onin the U.S., one in Russia.

The U.S. also keeps enough vaccine on hand

to vaccinate everyone who would need it

in the event of an outbreak.