A new survey from the disaster-prepping site Primal Survivor found that more than half of all Americans consider themselves to be "survivalists": people gearing up for imminent disaster, or the end of the world as we know it. (Think Nick Offerman's character in The Last of Us, or perhaps your snowbird neighbors stockpiling for their first hurricane season.)
While Hawaii has the highest proportion of doomsday preppers and survivalists, according to the survey, Florida doesn't fall far behind with a reported 62 percent of Floridians saying they're actively preparing for the worst.
The prepper movement was once considered a fringe phenomenon with a few potential high-profile backers like Hollywood star Tom Cruise, who reportedly planned to build himself a $10 million survival bunker beneath his Colorado mansion. But it's become more mainstream in recent years thanks to COVID-19, climate change concerns, and good ole-fashioned primal terror.
According to the online survey of 3,000 people, 16 percent said they were preparing for economic uncertainty, while 14 percent were anticipating international conflict. More than half of all respondents said extreme natural weather events had drawn them to disaster prepping.
The recent meandering of Chinese spy balloons across the U.S. has "motivated 34 percent of respondents to become more involved in prepping," the survey says.
"The pandemic has also led to a 54 percent increase in individuals who previously did not consider themselves survivalists but are now more likely to join the movement," the poll adds
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As recently as early March, the Miami Beach Convention Center hosted The Storm Expo Miami, the country's "leading event in preventing and managing damage caused by storms," featuring speakers from state and local emergency management departments. In late April, there will be a two-day "Homesteading and Prepping Summit" in Elkton, a small unincorporated town near Jacksonville whose most prominent landmark is its post office.
There appears to be an active online community in Florida dedicated to the survivalist lifestyle. One website called "Florida Prepper" lists dozens of pages of survivalist tips, including lengthy articles on "Survival Cooking Without Power" and "Rain Water Collecting for Disasters."
A Facebook group linked to the site has more than 1,200 members; a cover photo for the group depicts an asteroid hurling toward a field, where a child is standing next to a bike.
"This group is for how to prepare for the worst," the group's bio reads. "Preparing for disaster and survival is now more important than ever."
Meanwhile, other states across the country seem to be pondering the idea of Armageddon far less. Rhode Island, for one, had only 17 percent of its survey respondents describe themselves as survivalists.
