All language subtitles for Doomsday.Preppers.S02E06.720p.HDTV.x264-TTVa.en

Narrator: Across the country,

ordinary Americans
from all walks of

life are taking
whatever measures

necessary to prepare.

Braxton southwick: My
family 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.

Push him away, push him away.

Blevins: Stop right there!

Narrator: From what they
perceive as the fast

approaching end of the
world as we know it.

Dahhh!

Braxton: Leave her alone!

Narrator: Next, we
go inside the lives

of three committed preppers.

Josh wander: There's
going to be a lot of

people dying very quickly.

Narrator: Who have
devised extensive plans.

Croft: More arms works
better than less arms.

Narrator: Gone to great lengths.

Josh wander: Go on and
treat the wounded!

Come on, quickly, quickly!

Narrator: And made
huge personal sacrifices

to ensure their very survival.

Jade Kay: Half a million
dollars for a helicopter?

Narrator: The experts
will assess their preps,

to see if they
have what it takes.

Ryan croft: You've got chaos.

That's where the
prepper steps in.

Narrator: To survive.

Alexis Kay: It's not as easy
as it looks in video games.

Narrator: This is
doomsday preppers.

Bob Kay is the
wealthy creator of a

hugely successful
vitamin supplement.

Living in temecula,
California, Bob,

his wife and two
young daughters have

almost everything
they could ask for.

Bob Kay: I live on
two and a half acres.

The views are spectacular.

I can see mountains
in the distance.

I can see the wineries.

It's just an absolute wonderful

area to live in.

Narrator: But Bob fears
that the cost of owning

this high-priced
real estate could

one day be the lives
of his family because

they're sitting on a
ticking time bomb.

Bob Kay: I'm preparing
for a massive earthquake

that will change
society as we know it.

I know something is
going to go wrong.

I think the people
that say nothing will

go wrong and everything
will go right,

I think they're obsessive
in the wrong direction.

We live on Graham
cracker crust here.

In this part of
Southern California we

don't have one fault,
we have approximately

five or six major faults.

Narrator: Although most
are too small to feel,

roughly 10,000
earthquakes strike

Southern California every year.

Bob believes it's
just a matter of time

before one of them is
powerful enough to

destroy his community and
throw society into chaos.

Bob Kay: We have major
earthquake faults

running directly under
the major freeways here.

It wouldn't take much for
a major earthquake to

pretty much sever those
arteries so that folks

can't get materials in
and they can't get out.

Narrator: If a magnitude
7.8 quake or stronger

hits California, it could
topple 1,500 buildings,

kill 2,000 people and damage and

disrupt the
infrastructure survivors

would depend on for
getting food and water.

So Bob's plan is to
turn his two and a

half acre estate into a
self-sustaining oasis

where his family
can safely wait out

the chaos following
a killer quake.

And he's not afraid to
spend money to do it.

Bob Kay: I don't
do anything small.

Over the course of the
last twelve months

I've spent approximately
$150,000 on my preps.

I've been extremely
successful at what I do.

And that has allowed me
to have the financial

resources and the time to
be able to invest part of

my life to making sure my
family is taken care of.

Narrator: Many preppers
dream about the elaborate

things they would buy, if
money were not an object.

For Bob having multiple back-up

bug-out vehicles
is worth any cost.

Bob Kay: My preferred
bug out vehicle?

Motorcycle, nothing
impedes the motorcycle.

Yocan get pretty
much anywhere on it.

And I don't have
just one, I have six.

Narrator: The motorcycles
cost Bob another $110,000.

He spent $35,000 more
landscaping his estate and

every tree and shrub
serves a prepper purpose

Bob Kay: I have well
over 300 different types

of plants that can be
used for food either by

their fruiting or
the plant directly.

Narrator: Bob dropped
another $100,000

on a pool in order
to have 35,000

gallons in his
backyard that he can

filter into portable
drinking water.

Bob Kay: Once we
distill it and then

just run it through
a carbon filter,

it's fine.

You're taking the water,
turning it into a gas,

and then converting
it back right

into a liquid again.

Cheers.

What do you think?

Alexis Kay: Tastes just
like normal water.

Narrator: No matter
how hot it gets,

Bob's forbidden his
kids from swimming

during the day.

He doesn't want their sunscreen

to contaminate the water.

But his daughter, Alexis,
still fully supports

her father's extravagant
prepping habit.

Alexis Kay: I like
prepping with my dad,

I think it's pretty fun.

I'm pretty much the one
that comes up with the

ideas and then my
dad buys the preps.

Narrator: Today, Bob
and Alexis are looking

for a freeze-dried food source

they can stock up on,

in case earthquakes
one day destroy

California's supply lines.

Chris: One of my favorites
is freeze-dried chicken.

Bob Kay: I love this.

I mean, this is,
this is the ultimate

high-tech prepper food.

Chris: You'll notice it actually

kind of rehydrates in your mouth.

Bob: You know what?

That's really good.

Alexis Kay: Just like chicken.

There's nothing fake in it,

it's just chicken.

Bob Kay: Can you put
together like two

or three palettes of stuff?

What do you think it would cost,

per year, per person?

Chris: Somewhere between
$12,000 and $16,000 a year.

Bob Kay: I do spend
towards the upper end.

I make sure that I get a
good value on what I'm

purchasing and I want
to make it so it lasts.

Narrator: The average
American household

spends roughly $3,700
on groceries each year.

Bob just spent
more than 10 times

that in a single day.

Now he has to tell his wife,

Jade and she doesn't
always find her

husband's spendthrift
ways amusing.

Jade Kay: I'm not a prepper.

I think it's kind of, uh, weird.

It's weird;

it's a little bit crazy.

I don't think, you know,

that something will happen.

How much did this food cost?

Bob Kay: Uh, it's
very reasonable.

It's um.

Jade Kay: Reasonable means what?

Bob Kay: Uh, about $40,000.

Jade Kay: What?

Bob Kay: Yeah.

Jade Kay: $40,000 for food!

What if nothing happens?

What are you going
to do with the food?

Bob Kay: That, that's
a very good question.

In terms of how I prep,
I always think of the

greatest value, because
if my life's on the line

or my family's welfare
is on the line,

I don't want to have
to be second guessing

what I've done.

Narrator: Bob and
Alexis spend much of

their quality time
together prepping.

But they worry that their
home full of expensive

preps would be an
irresistible target

for desperate, violent
looters in the chaos

following catastrophic
earthquakes.

So recently, they've been
focusing on security

and defensive preps.

Bob Kay: If the house were
to become compromid

or I am not able to get home,

Alexis is fully capable
of defending herself.

Narrator: Like many children,

Alexis is drawn to martial arts.

She received her second
degree black belt

in tae-Kwon-do when she was ten.

Bob Kay: Uhmphf

narrator: But Alexis
wants to be able to

defend herself before a
violent confrontation

comes down to
hand-to-hand combat.

She recently told her
father she wanted

to learn how to throw knives.

So Bob custom built a
target range on his

property and bought her $1,000

worth of top of the line knives.

Bob Kay: These knives are
incredibly high quality.

The larger ones we
use are actually

competition quality knives.

It's a very effective,
concealable type

of weapon for self defense.

Very convenient.

You have to have a lot
of respect for a knife

or a bladed weapon and

she's learning the respect.

Exisay: Was more infenceby

video games than anything else,

because any
video game character,

you tell it to throw a
knife and it looks easy,

it looks effortless.

So I thought, why not?

Why not try throwing knives?

But when you actually
try to throw a knife,

it's a lot more of
a challenge than

it actually looks.

Bob Kay: Perfect.

Pretty good.

Narrator: Throwing
knives would help Alexis

in a short-range fight,
but she also wants an

option to protect
herself from attackers

at even greater distances.

So Bob's hired her
a personal firearm

instructor, spent $4,000
on a high-end rifle,

built a private shooting
range on his own property

and added $300 of zombie
targets that bleed

or explode to get her
accustomed to aiming

at a human figure.

Nate: You're too
close to the scope.

Lean forward.

Can you see your target?

Alexis Kay: Yeah.

Nate: Okay, ready to fire?

Fire!

Good job!

Bob: First shot, that
gun I can't do that.

One shot, right through
the top of the chest.

Joel: It's where you want it.

Bob: That was incredible.

Nate: That's a combat
accurate hit right there.

You can't ask any more
than that from this far.

Bob Kay: You guys did a
great job, thank you.

Alexis Kay: Definitely
not as easy as it

looks in video games.

Narrator: Including
Alexis' defensive

training, Bob's
already spent $150,000

on prepping in the past year.

But now he wants to ensure
his family has a clear

path to safety
if California is ever

leveled by a massive earthquake.

So he's about to
spend almost half a

million dollars on
one final prep.

Bob Kay: A year ago I'm watching

doomsday preppers
and I come to the

realization: I'm a prepper.

Narrator: In Bob Kay's
first year as a prepper,

he spent $150,000
preparing his Southern

California estate for a
catastrophic earthquake.

He just spent another $40,000

on freeze-dried food.

Alexis Kay: It's
like freeze-drie

life insurance.

Narrator: And the
constant spending is

threatening to
divide the family.

Jade k: It's so much money.

I think preppings
little bit crazy.

I still think it's kind

of wasting, wasting money.

Narrator: Bob lives only
an hour away from a

nuclear plant he fears
wouldn't withstand

a quake greater than 7.0.

For most, quickly
escaping nuclear fallout

would be an
insurmountable obstacle,

but Bob can afford to
spend his way to safety.

Bob Kay: If things
go really badly,

nobody's going to
be getting out of

this area by a truck
or bus or a car.

The way to go, got to
take it to a new level.

Narrator: Today, Bob
and his daughter,

Alex, are meeting
pilot Johan nurmi.

Bob Kay: Let's do it.

Want to talk to you
about some helicopters,

need your services.

Johan nurmi: Yes sir.

I recommend this one.

It's a four seater.

She can carry 800
pounds inside and

we can still have fuel.

Bob Kay: Okay, and range?

Johan nurmi: We
can fly for about two

and a half hours.

In California you
have an airport every

30 miles approximately.

Bob Kay: Ahhhh!

Johan nurmi: So you
have no problem get fuel.

Something happens; I'll
be there in five minutes.

I'll rescue you.

Land outside your
driveway and off we go.

Bob Kay: This looks
like the way to go.

Looks like it has plenty
of room, so how much?

Jade Kay: You actually purchased

a helicopter, or?

Okay, how much, how much
does the helicopter cost?

Bob Kay: About half
a million dollars.

Jade Kay: What?

Half a million dollars
for helicopter?

Bob Kay: Well, you
got to let me tell

you the rest of it though.

We're going to do a test run.

We're going to have a
helicopter come here.

We can land it out
here, right out here.

We should give it a try.

Keeping in mind that
there are about a quarter

of a million people
living in this area and

bugging out isn't
necessarily the

easiest thing to do.

One highway in, one highway out.

The advantages of
using some type of

air transport helicopter,
allows one to takeoff

and land in a very small area.

It's a tremendous advantage.

A little bit pricier way to go,

but it does deliver
on the solution.

My wife does view many
of the activities

that I engage in for
prepping with amusement.

The truth of the matter
is she does understand

the type of environment
we live in.

We've experienced
sevel earthquakes.

So she does
appreciate truly that

being prepared is important.

To me, major earthquake,
if it was a matter of

money to save my
family's lives and

take care of their well being,

show me where I
stick the debit card.

Narrator: Bob, the experts,

practical preppers, have
assessed your preps.

Your gardens, orchard
and stored food will

be a great asset if it
comes to feeding your

family over an extended
period of time.

However, currently you
lack sources of protein.

The experts recommend
you start raising

chickens and rabbits.

Bob Kay: I think we need
to find an alternative

and I think the stores
that we can purchase

that are freeze
dried would be an

excellent alternative.

Narrator: Your
35, 000-gallon pool

is a good start
for water supply,

but relying on the pool
alone will leave you

without any potable
water at all should

your desalination
equipment ever fail.

Bob Kay: We had thought
about drilling a well.

We tried to get permits;

not allowed because
the water rights

are not ours.

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: 11 out of 20 points.

Water: 17 out of 20 points.

Shelter: 9 out of 20 points.

Security: 13 out of 20 points.

Your knowledge of
vitamins and nutrition

gives you 11 x-factor points.

Overall your score
is 61 out of 100.

You have nine months
initial survival time.

Bob Kay: I agree with
most of it except its

left out a critical factor:

Our ability to have
business activities

and barter and
increase our ability

to live a longer period of time.

Narrator: Experts rate
the likelihood of a

magnitude 6.7 earthquake
or stronger striking on

the fault under
temecula, California

within the next 30 years 11%.

Josh wander is a
deeply religious

prepper living in Pittsburgh.

He fears the end is coming,

but can he prep to
keep his family

alive without disobeying
his god's commands?

Narrator: Josh wander
is a husband and father

of six who moved from
Jerusalem, Israel,

to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,

about 10 years ago.

Josh wander: You all buckled up?

You ready?

Here we go.

Narrator: He's devoted to
his orthodox Jewish faith,

his family and
community politics.

Josh wander: A
normal day in my life

starts off around
6:30 in the morning

where I go to pray in synagogue.

After that, I start
my campaigning.

Thanks, thank you.

Narrator: Each day, Josh
works on his campaign

for city council,
cares for his children

and fulfills his
prayer obligations.

But every moment
not devoted to god,

his kids, and politics,
he spends prepping.

Josh wander: I'm preparing for a

series of catastrophic
terrorist attacks,

which will fundamentally change

our lives as we know it.

Terrorist attacks are
just a way of life

and something that's
necessary to prepare for.

It wouldn't be difficult
for terrorists to blow

themselves up in suicide
bombs in major cities,

buses, in malls throughout
the United States.

There would be
continuous attacks on

these locations over
and over again.

Police, firemen, and
the paramedics would

come to respond.

There would be additional
attacks as soon as the

first responders
would come that would

kill and maim those people.

This is something
that was perfected in

the middle east.

People would be afraid to
use mass transportation;

afraid to go to stores
for fear that there

would be continuous attacks.

People would be stuck
in their homes in fear

without the ability to
bring in new resources.

Once that happens
there's going to be

a lot of people
dying very quickly.

Narrator: Josh is
running for a seat

on Pittsburgh's city council.

But, unlike his
opponent, the focus of

his platform is
not improving the

city's infrastructure.

Josh believes terrorist attacks

could happen at any moment,

so he wants the entire
city of Pittsburgh

to begin prepping.

Josh wander: As a politician,

I'm looking at the
welfare of the

greater community.

I educate people on the

importance of preparedness.

What's motivating me
to run for Pittsburgh

city council is that
fact that there is

no preparedness at all.

People are not listening.

What we need is somebody
who's going to stand up

and legislate and
explain that there has

to be required education.

David Raphael: You
see these people now

worried about you know,
building bunkers.

Everyone's building bunkers now.

And that's cool and
if I had the money,

I'd build a bunker.

Like that, that's great.

I think it would be
nice to have someone

involved in government
that wants to be prepared.

I would vote for Josh
wander unconditionally.

Narrator: Josh
believes politicians

like himself will
be targeted when

terrorists attack and
he fears one of his

own political rallys
could soon be the scene of

a massacre aimed
at silencing him.

In the last year, the
number of government

officials killed in
terrorist attacks

worldwide increased
more than 13 percent.

So today, he's putting
his staff through

their first mass casualty drill.

Josh wander: Let's
get bloodied up.

It's a misnomer that people

panic during attacks.

Instead you find
that people just

shut down and they don't move.

Narrator: In a life-threatening

situation, instead
of fight, or flight

the human body will
sometimes freeze,

or play opossum, to avoid
becoming a target.

To help him fight
that urge in a real

catastrophe, Josh is
trying to get them used

acting in crisis
by making this scene

of carnage as
realistic as possible.

Josh wander: Doing
something repetitively

ingrains it into you,
so if something

actually happens you
won't break down.

Narrator: Josh was trained
as an ems responder

in Jerusalem and
witnessed the impact

of suicide bombings first hand.

Terrorist attacks
sometimes happen in

quick succession,
with secondary bombs

exploding once emergency
responders arrive,

to prevent people
from receiving care.

So Josh is training
his team to secure

the perimeter before
attending to any victims.

Josh wander: I want
all three of you to

make a perimeter,
then we're going to go and

treat the wounded.

Come on, quickly, quickly!

Clear over here.

Josh wander: Okay,
it seems safe.

Now let's start treating them.

Joe: He's breathing,
pulse is rapid.

Alrigh lets red tag him

narrator: Each victim
is assessed and

assigned color
coded tag based on

the severity of his injuries.

Green for minor
injuries that can wait,

yellow for urgent but stable,

red for critical.

Joe: Do we have a pulse?

Student: No pulse.

Narrator: And black.

Joe: No pulse, no breathing.

He's a black tag, he's gone.

Let's get help to
the other people.

Josh wander: We put an enormous

amount of sanctity on life.

We need to just save as
many lives as possible.

This is exactly
why I'm a prepper.

Because I think
that the survival

of my family,
friends, supporters,

is, is my ultimate
responsibility.

Narrator: Josh's
orthodox faith impacts

every aspect of his prepping.

But can he prepare his
family for the life of

terrorist attacks
he fears without

having to disobey god?

Narrator: Josh wander is
a Pittsburgh politician

he fears a series of
terrorist attacks will

soon tear across
the United States.

He believes the
unpredictability and

frequency of the attacks
will force people to

remain in their homes
and survive off only

what they have on hand

so Josh is preparing to bug in

for at least three months.

Josh wander: Urban
centers would be targeted

in any terrorist attack.

It would make most
sense to basically

stay put for a period of time.

Narrator: Josh has
been trying to build up a

stockpile of provisions
for when doomsday comes.

But as an orthodox Jew,
he faces a complication

that most preppers don't
have to worry about.

Josh wander: We
have to keep kosher.

So our food preparations have to

be all certified kosher.

Narrator: Because of
the trouble he's had

finding kosher food designed

for long shelf life,

it's taken Josh three
years to accumulate

just a three month
supply of kosher

preps that won't spoil.

Josh wander: Matzah, I believe,

is actually the
ultimate prepper food.

Narrator: Unleavened
bread made only from

flour and water,
matzah is a source of

protein and
carbohydrates and has

a two and half year shelf life.

Josh wander: I've seen
these boxes be opened

years after its expiration
and it's still fresh.

Narrator: Josh also has
a dozen cases of kosher

mre's, enough for 144
1,200-calorie meals,

which have been cooked and

packaged under
rabbinical supervision,

and can last up to five years.

Josh wander: Kosher
mre's are specifically

made for ortdox Jews
who are in the military.

They are U.S. military rations,

and they are completely kosher.

Narrator: Having served in
the Israeli defense forces,

Josh has experience
surviving off mre's.

But his children don't.

So today, he's giving
them a taste of what

they'll be in for, if
multiple terrorist

attacks confine
them to their home.

Josh wander: You're going to
pour in just a drop, okay?

Narrator: The heater
pouch is filled with

iron and magnesium dust.

When they come in
contact with water they

begin rust and
the rapid oxidation

generates heat

Josh wander: Feel it, Sara?

That's how the chemicals work.

Feel how hot it is?

Josh wander: Baruch atah adonai,

elohenu melech ha'olam,
borei mi nay mazanos.

Tamara: Ewww, it
looks like barf.

Sara: It looks like barf.

Josh wander: Not bad.

Make a mazanos close
your eyes and eat it,

come on.

Tamara: No.

Josh wanr: Comen.

Tamara: No!

Josh wander: Corn
and, and carrots

no?

That's just because your
sister told you not to,

right?

Cause you were about to do it.

Narrator: Josh's
current store of kosher

supplies should last 90 days.

But he fears wave after
wave of terrorist

attacks could keep
Pittsburgh under siege

longer than three months.

Josh wander: Whoever has a
bite of this can have a treat.

Who's going to have it?

Narrator: If that
were to happen,

Josh believes he'd
eventually be forced to

choose between
keeping kosher and

staying alive.

Josh wander: There
are 613 commandments

in the torah.

We are instructed to
break any of those

rules in order to save life.

If necessary we could eat pork

we could eat shellfish or

any other non-kosher species for

the preservation of life.

Under normal circumstances is

a rabbit kosher?

Daughter: No.

Josh wander: Right?

Rabbits are not kosher

in fact, it says in the Bible,

it mentions rabbits as
one of the species

which is not kosher.

Narrator: Because
these rabbits are

raised to be dinner,

Josh won't allow his
children to give them names.

Josh wander: They're not pets.

We do play with them,
but they understand

that they're eventually
going to be used for food.

Tamara: I think it's disgusting.

Josh wander: It's disgusting?

But it's better
than dying right?

Tamara: No.

Josh wander: I don't
feel conflicted at all

once we've finished all
of our kosher options

it smoothly transitions
to whatever's out there and,

that's necessary
to preserve life.

Narrator: Keeping kosher
isn't the only Jewish

tradition Josh may
have to break with in

order to keep his family alive.

If terrorism comes
to Pittsburgh,

Josh and his children
are willing to do

whatever it takes to
protect themselves.

Josh wander: Jewish law
is clear that we are

obligated to defend
ourselves to the

point of using
lethal force in order

to preserve our lives.

Narrator: Today, Josh
is taking Hannah and

etan to their local
shooting range.

As a certified nra instructor,

Josh makes sure they
practice once a week,

so that their shooting
skills are honed

in case of an onslaught
of terrorist attacks.

Josh wander: Now look
between these two

and this and see the red.

Whenever you're ready put the

finger in and slowly pull once.

Slowly, slowly, that
was way too fast.

Continue to look through it.

Relax, relax.

Good, perfect.

Deep breath, relax, lean
forward a little bit.

Most children out there
know to pick up a phone

and dial 911,
unfortunately very few

know what to do when they
pick up the phone and

there's no dial tone
on the other end.

Narrator: As much as
Josh loves Pittsburgh,

he believes it's possible that,

in the wake of
terrorist attacks and

subsequent looting,
their home could

no longer be a safe haven.

So if the terrorists
gain the upper hand, Josh has a plan

Josh wander: We
would have to get

out from this urban death trap.

We would definitely
be bugging out

to a remote location.

If they're woken up in
the middle of the night,

they know to bug out.

It's something that we
constantly work on.

We're bugging out!

Narrator: Josh's
15-passenger Van

is large enough to
fit his family

of eight and some supplies.

His plan is to camp
in a wooded area,

where he hopes he can
remain camouflaged

until he can determine
his family's safest

route out of the city

Josh wander: We're
headed into the forest

in order to reassess
the situation.

The relationship
between judaism and

prepping is very strong.

Jewish communities
throughout the millennia

have been required to bug out.

The exodus was a
form of a bug out.

They were forced to very
quickly pickup their

things and marched out of
Egypt to the holy land.

Moses did what was
necessary for himself

and his nation in
order to survive.

Just like any other time
in world history the ones

that are going to survive are
those that are prepared.

The ultimate prepper food.

Narrator: Josh, the experts,

practical preppers have
reviewed your preps.

Your rainwater catchment
barrels are a good idea;

however, you should consider

storing more water.

250 gallons is not enough
for a family of eight.

Josh wander: 250
gallons is just the

beginning of our preps.

I think we have plenty
of water to go around.

Narrator: We suggest
that you include

others in your plans.

In an urban environment,

you will find your greatest
strength in numbers.

Josh wander: There's a
lot at we've learned

through our military experience.

One of the things
that we've learned is

the fact that in
order to improve you

have to hear the
negative as well.

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.

You need a more
complete food plan:

11 out of 20 points.

Water: 14 out of 20 points.

Shelter: 12 out of 20 points.

Security: Forming a
prepping group would give

you a more complete skill base:

17 out of 20 points.

For attempting to inform
your community about

prepping through your
political campaign,

you receive 16 x-factor points.

Overall, your score
is 70 out of 100.

You have 12 months
initial survival time.

Josh wander: Well, a 70 is
generally a passing grade,

but I'm not satisfied with it.

I would say that it's
necessary to do better

and we're always
looking at ways that

we can better ourselves.

Since national
geographic was here,

things have been getting a
lot worse in this country.

We've decided that if necessary,

myself and my family are
going to move back to

Israel, where Jews are
protected and safe.

Narrator: Despite
more than 10,000

terrorist attacks and
12,000 deaths in 2011,

more than 3/4 of those
attacks occurred

in the near east and south Asia.

Overall, he total number
of terrorist attacks

worldwide dropped almost
12% to a five-year low.

Ryan croft is willing
to eat anything,

if it means keeping
his family alive.

Ryan croft: And he's dinner.

All right, guys.

Narrator: But when it
comes to their safety,

only the best will do.

So he's attempting to build the

perfect prepper
weapon system with

his own two hands.

Ryan croft: Frontal!

Narrator: Ryan croft is
a former airmen in the

us air force who now works
as a weapons manufacturer

in ashville, north Carolina.

With five teenage boys at home,

keeping enough food
in the house is a

constant battle for Ryan
and his wife, Rebecca.

But it's even harder when
they're also trying to

stockpile provisions for
the end of the world.

Ryan croft: We're
preparing to stand our

ground during a worldwide
financial collapse.

Frontal!

Alex: Covering!

Ryan croft: Our
country's not okay,

our world is not okay
and it's not getting better.

There aren't enough resources.

Can fema arrive?

Uh-huh.

Can fema arrive in a
thousand cities at once?

Nuh-uh.

So who are they
going to show up for?

You, me?

That's where the
prepper steps in.

I'm not going to sit and
wait for someone else

to come up with
solutions when so often

I've been involved
with government.

Their solutions suck.

Narrator: Ryan fears
the economy will

soon collapse, and
that when it does,

it'll take society
along with it.

Ryan croft: The
value of your dollar

is completely artificial.

Our financial collapse
has already started.

We're just in the
gentle glide of

the collapse right now.

How close are we?

The only reason why it
keeps going forward

is because of
consumer confidence.

You knock consumer
confidence out of the way;

you've got chaos
in different and

varying degrees
around the world.

Narrator: Experts
recommend preppers in

heavily populated areas
have bug-out locations

at least two hours
outside of city centers,

to which they can
escape in a crisis.

But if the economy
does collapse,

as Ryan fears, he has no plans

to cut and run.

Ryan croft: We
love our community.

We are heavily invested.

As preppers, we are
not going anywhere.

This is our town.

This is where we live and
we love these people.

Whatever they're missing,

if I can fill in
the pieces, I will.

Narrator: Currently only
1% of the food consumed

in western north Carolina
is grown locally.

But Ryan's not
stockpiling canned or

dried food for his community.

Instead, he's planning
on growing an algae

that's one of the simplest
life forms on earth.

Ryan croft: I'm very excited

about culturing spirulina.

Spirulina alone promises
to take starvation

out of any crisis in the world.

Narrator: Spirulina
is an algae rich

in vitamins, protein,
and other nutrients

that it's been said a
person could survive

on it and water alone.

Spirulina's even
been included in

planned diets for NASA
missions to Mars.

Israel: What exactly
does blowing air

into this tank do anyway?

Ryan croft: Agitation
is really good

for the solution
but also you are

introducing carbon
dioxide and oxygen.

It loves carbon dioxide.

The best way to
harvest spirulina is

to just put a tube in.

Almost like siphoning gasoline.

I mean, you can eat
it right off the

filter cloth if you wanted to.

It's like a buttery,

almost tasteless substance.

You need about five to
10 grams of it daily

to get a good nutritive
supplemental supply.

If you want to live on it alone,

probably 20 grams a day.

Narrator: Ryan thinks
his ten gallon aquarium

can produce up to five grams
of spirulina each day.

That means by his estimates he'd

need more than 30
spirulina aquariums

just to feed his
family of seven.

In order to make it
a resource for his

whole community, he's
recruited friends and

neighbors to help him
establish spirulina

farms throughout town.

Ryan croft: Your
number one resource

should be people.

And that is not on most
people's preppers list.

They think that means
I've got a doctor.

I've got a tactician,
I've got an engineer;

that's not people,
those are jobs.

We'd like to select
maybe a half a dozen

people that we can
actually spread this

spirulina tech to right
away so that we have

got 100 to 150
gallons on hand fully

mature and available.

You only need about 15
milliliters to go in,

start a new colony.

So we'd have the
resources to set up about

1,000 little micro-farms.

I believe that the
people with the greatest

chance of survival
are those that can

genuinely stick together.

I'm talkin' about
regionally stick together,

I don't mean your
little 20-person group.

That's not enough.

You need as many
people as you can to

have the same objective.

And that is to stay alive
with one condition:

Everyone lives, no one dies.

Narrator: If America's
food supply lines break

down following an
economic collapse,

Ryan understands
not everyone in his

community will
want to eat algae.

So he's cultivating
another abundant

source of protein, earthworms.

Ryan croft: Six little
worms will provide

you with an entire
day's worth of

high quality protein.

You'll have a thousand
or 2 or 3,000 of

them in the average
American yard.

Once you hit about 3,000 worms,

you're always going
to have worms.

So guys this our
next little piece of

survival tech for
prepping our city.

Tom: The big question is,

which one of you guys,

is going to have the worm?

The first worm.

Isra: I think that will be you.

Tom: No, I'm talking
about you young kids

kid: I don't like worms.

Ryan croft: Oh they're tasty;

wait till you try one.

My gosh, they are flavorful!

Kid: No thank you.

Ryan croft: It's
important to teach my

kids because morale
and mindset is

a huge component to survival.

So long as you don't
think it's worm,

it's a lot easier on the mind.

Narrator: Earthworms
provide a comparable

amount of protein you
can get eating eggs or

cow's milk, and are
consumed regularly in

almost 90 countries.

Ryan prefers his with hot sauce.

Ryan croft: Hot sauce
goes a long way with

helping you eat things
you normally wouldn't eat.

Corbin!

I'll pick one out
for you, a good one.

We'll give you this little guy.

Hold him, clean him off.

Corbin: This is so crazy.

Alex: No sauce.

He's straight up, he's man

tom: Oh, you're the man.

Ryan croft: Tastes
like dirt, huh?

Corbin: Yeah.

Tom: Wow, nice.

Good man!

You did well, I'm
proud of you boy.

Corbin: I would have
to be pretty hungry

to eat one of those
but I would do it.

Ryan croft: You have
the capability of

taking care of
yourself with only

that which nature
provides in abundance.

Adaptability, flexibility
is the number one

skill that you should
cultivate in yourself.

Narrator: Apart from
algae and worms,

Ryan doesn't put
too much emphasis

on stockpiling additional food.

Ryan croft: We have
about 1,200 pounds

of food storage.

On a normal 2,200
calorie per day diet.

I've only got about
3 to 4 months.

But you really don't have
to stock a lot of things.

Especially if you have got some

experience with primitive
survival techniques.

Narrator: Ryan spent four
years in the airforce

and learned how to
survive off the land

with limited resources.

Ryan croft: I lived primitively

for years, intentionally.

No power, no running water and

I lived for a long time.

We're going to scavenge from our

local environment,

to supplement our food storage.

Narrator: Tonight,
he's taking his boys

out into the local
woods to show them what

else he expects them to
do should doomsday come.

Ryan croft: One of
the lesser and least

appreciated foods around America

is the common field mouse;

full of nutrition.

If you eat the whole thing,

the whole little mouse,

you're going to have
a complete diet.

Narrator: Field mice are a

constantly renewable resource.

Each female can give
birth to 83 mice

in the course of one year.

But at roughly 70 calories each,

in order to meet
minimum recommend

calorie requirements on
a 100% mouse diet,

he'd have to consume
17 mice each day.

So for Ryan it's
extremely important that

his boys become
skilled mouse hunters.

Ryan croft: We're going to
demonstrate a paiute trap.

You put a little twig in here.

See my side, where
my fingers are?

That's where you need
to apply the pressure.

Narrator: Ryan is building
a simple deadfall trap

out of notched sticks
and a heavy rock.

By tying the bait to the
end of the trigger stick,

if it's disturbed
it will cause the

delicately balanced
sticks to collapse,

and the deadweight will fall.

Ryan croft: All he has
to do is sniff on that

peanut butter a little bit.

It does not take
very much pressure.

A fraction of an ounce
touches that stick

and we want that little
tiny bit of weight

to trip this off.

This is a very dense
habitat for mice.

So hook them up with the
convenience store right here.

They can check in,
but not check out.

Alright, well there you go.

Common field mouse
and he's dinner.

All right, guys
I brought dinner.

Corbin: What are we havin'?

Ryan croft: Little mouse,
little field mouse.

He didn't feel a thing.

There's no good way
to skin a mouse.

You pretty much just
destroy them if you do.

We're going to hammer him out.

Break his little bones up.

Front to back, from
the head down and

then we just drop him
right in the coals.

You roll him around
a little bit.

Let him get crispy.

Ben: So what's the
best part to eat?

Ryan croft: His head.

So boys, who's going to
try some mouse?

Corbin: Not me, I had
the worm last time.

Ryan croft: Gordy?

Gordy: I don't think so.

Ryan croft: You don't think so.

You might be hungry someday,

you might really.

Gordy: Yeah, I'll do it
when I'm really hungry.

Ryan croft: All right.

Ben: I'll try it.

Ryan croft: All right.

Ben: Mmmm.

Ryan croft: Charcoal-y, huh?

Count of three.

Gordy: One two three.

Alex: Go.

You got it, you got it.

Go 'head, you got it.

Go 'head, crunch it up.

It's gone, it's gone, it's gone.

There you go, there you go.

Ryan croft: It's delicious.

Gordy: Ugh

Ryan croft: A few good
tools, plus know-how,

you can find mice anywhere.

You'll never go hungry.

Narrator: Scavenging
enough food to

survive on in an
apocalypse is one thing;

keeping it safe from
those who would take

it from you is another.

So Ryan has taken
extreme measures to prepare

his community to
defend themselves

to the death, if necessary.

Now preppers in
asheville, north Carolina,

are preparing for the
looming economic collapse

that Ryan feels is inevitable.

Ryan croft: We're not
prepping for ourselves.

We're going the step beyond;

we're prepping for our city.

Narrator: Ryan fears
his determination to

stay in the city and
help his neighbors will

put him in the path
of violent looters.

So Ryan wants every
prepper in his group to

be suffiently armed

Ryan croft: I think we
should all be armed.

If you're armed,

it changes the game completely.

More arms works better
than less arms.

Narrator: But Ryan's not
content with what's on the

market, so he's looking
to create a custom weapon

specifically to suit
a prepper's needs.

Ryan croft: I took
the best of the ak-47

and combined it with
the logistical system

of the ar-15.

Narrator: The ak-47 is
generally considered

durable, cheap, and easy to use,

but an inferior
weapon to the ar-15,

which is generally
more expensive.

Ryan thought if he could
combine the best aspects

of each gun, he'd have the
perfect prepper weapon.

Ryan croft: This
is Joshua mark one.

I named it after general Joshua,

my favorite biblical character.

Ah, the general pretty
much that secured the

promised land for
the israelites.

This is my very first
gun that I built.

It's sort of the
closest thing a man

can get to having
a child, I think.

Cause it's just a
little bunch of parts

and you bring it together.

You breathe life into it

and it's magical, you know?

This weapon is perfect for, ah,

I would say for
American prepper,

but really just for America.

Period.

Alex: Covering!

Ryan croft: We're prepared to do

everything that's
necessary to survive.

We choose to try and save
as many lives as we can.

Frontal!

Number one advice
I have for America?

Be flexible.

Widen your mind, broaden your

capabilities adapt and overcome.

Narrator: Ryan, the experts at

practical preppers
commend you for

your community action plan.

By rallying your
friends and neighbors

you will establish a system that

mutually benefits everyone.

Ryan croft: Thank you.

Narrator: Your varied
and non-conventional

food sources are
clever and efficient

however you may have trouble

feeding your family of seven.

We recommend you look
into expanding your

stockpile of traditional
foods with long shelf life.

Ryan croft: Understood,
I don't disagree.

However, if we fully develop our

spirulina tech, I think
we'll be just fine.

Narrator: To determine
how long you could

initially survive a catastrophe,

practical preppers has
scored your preps in

five categories of
20 points each.

Food: 14 out of 20 points.

Needing to walk half
a mile to collect

water is impractical
and could be dangerous:

9 out of 20 points.

Shelter: 13 out of 20 points.

Security: 15 out of 20 points.

Your community approach
to helping neighbors

and sharing your
spirulina gives you

12 x-factor points.

Overall, you get
a 63 out of 100.

You have ten months
initial survival time.

Ryan croft: Well my
family have deeply

appreciated the assessment.

You check us out.

If the world will
give us another year

I think we'll be doubly,
triply impressive.

We've made a lot of
really good progress.

Not in every way
that we want to,

but in very significant ways.

Our spirulina is
doing quite well.

It's very thick, it's
ready for harvesting.

And we've posted a lot
of videos on YouTube

showing what we've done
and how we've done it,

so that we can help
more people that

are also trying to prepare.

Narrator: In spite of
the recent recession and

European debt crisis,
most economists believe

a near-term depression
is unlikely,

and the odds of a global
collapse that would result

in a severe breakdown
of society are remote.