Doomsday ‘preppers’ have revealed their $1,000-a-year camp in case of societal meltdown, stuffed with enough flour, rice, toilet paper and other essentials to last its inhabitants for 25 years in the case of societal meltdown.
The Fortitude Camp in West Virginia, two hours outside the capital Washington, sells itself as ‘real’ life insurance in the event of societal collapse, biological weapons strike, economic implosion, or – indeed – a pandemic.
It is kitted out with 500 bunk beds, tucked away in concrete bunkers, as well as gun stores, solar panels, and a ditch where contaminated bodies can be incinerated. It also has solar panels, wells, radio equipment, greenhouses and a farm with chickens, goats and cows.
The camp’s committee-of-five can declare a ‘catastrophic situation’ in the event of a serious outbreak or societal meltdown, which would mean all members would be invited to come to the camp. Access would then be barred except for with a secret password.
The Fortitude Camp in West Virginia, the Appalachian mountains, sells itself as a ‘real’ life insurance policy in the case of societal meltdown. Pictured above is one of the buildings members would stay in
Those wishing to sign up can pay $1,000-a-year for a guaranteed space on one of the camps 500 bunk beds (pictured)
Manager and former veteran who served in the 1991 Persian Gulf war Steve Rene, pictured above, explained that they are stocked with enough food to last them all for 25 years
The camp is also flanked by four lookouts armed with guns, so that other Americans don’t come and try to steal their food
‘It’s not a bunch of crazy people with this idea that tomorrow the world ends,’ said manager and former Operation Desert Storm soldier who participated in the 1991 attack in the Persian Gulf, Steve Rene.
‘We’re not militaristic. We have no ties with militias, anything like that. If you’re not prepared in some way, you have just no where to go, nothing to do. Everybody scrambles and lots of things get out of hand.
‘It’s like a life insurance policy that actually protects your life, rather than a life insurance policy that pays to bury you.’
The camp, nestled in the Appalachian mountains, is flanked at four corners by lookout posts armed with high-calibre rifles, cable of stopping armoured vehicles in their tracks.
‘Desperate people do desperate things,’ said Mr Rene. The ‘survivalists’ view their main threat as other Americans rushing to steal their provisions. ‘Obviously that’s not very likely,’ said the former soldier, ‘but the possibility exists’.
Pictured above is one of several bunkers at the camp that members plan to use in the case of societal meltdown
This is one of the camp’s many food stores. They also have plenty of toilet paper and face masks – in the case of an outbreak
The camp has also been kitted out with a farm complete with goats (above), chickens and cows
Shown above is one of the camps buildings with solar panels, which will keep it illuminated in the case of disaster
In the case of an epidemic, camp policy dictates that new arrivals temperature will be checked with a no-contact thermometer before they are allowed in.
It was founded by a former military intelligence expert and Harvard University graduate, Drew Miller, who has established a separate branch in Colorado and hopes to build more across the US.
Since the coronavirus outbreak, Mr Rene said he has been receiving more and more enquiries from worried people across the country.
Worried people who already had the idea of survivalism ‘at the back of their mind’ are now seeing ‘there can be a need’, said Mr Rene.
A laptop open next to him shows an online map displaying the spread of the virus in real time.
There are no red dots in the vicinity of the survivalists’ ranch. As of Monday, West Virginia was the last state in the country not to have declared any cases of the disease that has shut down so much of the world.
Mr Rene smiles as he shows one of the guns that the camp would use to protect itself against other Americans. He also said that in the case of an outbreak, all new arrivals would have their temperature checked
Mr Rene showing a map tracking reported coronavirus cases in the US. There are none near the isolated camp at present
The gun pictured placed onto a kitchen work surface in West Virginia. The camp has four lookout points to protect it
The camp is also loaded with plenty of face masks (pictured) and toilet rolls in the case of a pandemic