Today's Survivalists: Call Them 'Preppers'

They’re ready for the worst, but they’re not your old-fashioned nutjobs: you won’t likely see "preppers" building bunkers in the woods or expecting the apocalypse. Today’s post-Katrina, recession-era survivalists, their fears heightened by 24-hour news and the Internet, just want to “take some steps to safeguard ourselves” for whatever might come next, one tells Newsweek.

“I consider it more of a reaction than a movement,” says one Idaho prepper. “There are so many variables and potential disasters out there, being a prepper is just a reaction to that potential.” The reaction comes in many shapes: there are urban, suburban, and rural preppers; some learn to hunt; others prepare organic farms; still others simply keep some extra granola bars handy.
(More survival stories.)