Original subtitles

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.