A brand new survey from the disaster-prepping website Primal Survivor discovered that greater than half of all Americans take into account themselves to be “survivalists”: folks gearing up for imminent catastrophe, or the top of the world as we all know it. (Think Nick Offerman’s character in The Last of Us, or maybe your snowbird neighbors stockpiling for his or her first hurricane season.)
While Hawaii has the very best proportion of doomsday preppers and survivalists, based on the survey, Florida does not fall far behind with a reported 62 p.c of Floridians saying they’re actively getting ready for the worst.
The prepper motion was as soon as thought of a fringe phenomenon with just a few potential high-profile backers like Hollywood star Tom Cruise, who reportedly deliberate to construct himself a $10 million survival bunker beneath his Colorado mansion. But it is turn into extra mainstream lately because of COVID-19, local weather change issues, and good ole-fashioned primal terror.
According to the net survey of three,000 folks, 16 p.c stated they had been getting ready for financial uncertainty, whereas 14 p.c had been anticipating worldwide battle. More than half of all respondents stated excessive pure climate occasions had drawn them to catastrophe prepping.
The latest meandering of Chinese spy balloons throughout the U.S. has “motivated 34 p.c of respondents to turn into extra concerned in prepping,” the survey says.
“The pandemic has additionally led to a 54 p.c enhance in people who beforehand didn’t take into account themselves survivalists however at the moment are extra more likely to be a part of the motion,” the ballot provides
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Florida’s excessive prevalence of survivalists could come as little shock given the state’s lengthy historical past of devastating hurricanes.
As just lately as early March, the Miami Beach Convention Center hosted The Storm Expo Miami, the nation’s “main occasion in stopping and managing injury brought on by storms,” that includes audio system from state and native emergency administration departments. In late April, there will probably be a two-day “Homesteading and Prepping Summit” in Elkton, a small unincorporated city close to Jacksonville whose most outstanding landmark is its publish workplace.
There seems to be an energetic on-line group in Florida devoted to the survivalist life-style. One web site referred to as “Florida Prepper” lists dozens of pages of survivalist suggestions, together with prolonged articles on “Survival Cooking Without Power” and “Rain Water Collecting for Disasters.”
A Facebook group linked to the location has greater than 1,200 members; a canopy photograph for the group depicts an asteroid hurling towards a subject, the place a toddler is standing subsequent to a motorcycle.
“This group is for learn how to put together for the worst,” the group’s bio reads. “Preparing for catastrophe and survival is now extra vital than ever.”
Meanwhile, different states throughout the nation appear to be pondering the concept of Armageddon far much less. Rhode Island, for one, had solely 17 p.c of its survey respondents describe themselves as survivalists.