Latest news with #doomsdayprepper
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Climate
- Daily Mail
US Doomsday prepper reveals his fallout shelter stocked with survival gear amid fears of WWIII
A professional doomsday prepper has opened the door to his fallout shelter to share how he is preparing for World War III. Derrick James, who owns and operates his own doomsday prepping company in Maine, has been interested in prepping for a world-ending catastrophe since childhood and actively stockpiling food since 2007. He's prepared for a worst-case scenario in the US, filling his shelter with months of nonperishable food, giant water tanks, walkie-talkies, gasoline, solar panels, and blankets. James's shelter is even prepared to clean his own water, keep the lights on in a blackout, and receive updates from the US government without needing to rely on the internet. The doomsday prepper also shared several tips for those hoping to survive what he believes is an imminent war, including having an emergency go-bag, securing passports, and having cash on hand. As the conflict between Israel and Iran remains in flux amid ongoing peace talks, James warned that anyone who started preparing for a nuclear war shouldn't get complacent - a new crisis could break out at any moment. 'Every event that we have lived through - whether it is COVID, the Iraq war, or hurricanes - brings in a new wave of preppers,' James said. 'Then the threat will go away and most people forget about it until another event comes along,' the 50-year-old prepper continued. 'My advice is to take a deep breath, come up with a plan that you can stick to, and don't stress yourself out. We are living in a fragile society, and things could unravel very quickly,' James explained to SWNS. The doomsday prepper's shelter included multiple radios, power packs, and emergency equipment, as James warned that getting new gear could become virtually impossible in world war. However, he noted that stocking a shelter full of food is a bigger priority than finding drinking water in an emergency. His shelter included barrels of rice, beans, wheat, berries that could feed him for months. James also had shelves full of canned meats like tuna fish, jarred foods like peanut butter, and ready-to-eat meals that were full of calories and had long shelf lives. James put building a 90-day supply of food at the top of his list because, in his view, food will be hard to gather in large quantities if a global emergency strikes. 'Anytime you get a food crisis, food is harder to come by. If you have food for 30 to 90 days, you can weather any storm that comes your way,' James said. Although fellow doomsday preppers typically cite water as the top priority, since the human body can only go three days without water, James warned that global food supply chains will collapse quickly in a world war. 'The first thing for many people, honestly, could be having a week's worth of food in their home. Many people don't even have that,' James told the Are We F#ed? Podcast. Finding and purifying water was another top tip, but people would likely nee to take different steps in securing water depending on the city or town they're living in James said stocking up on clean water and water filters is still the second most important tip for doomsday preparations. He noted that this step would look different depending on where a person was living, explaining that people in cities may have to purify water that they find by emptying pipes or toilet tanks. Once you've secured food and water, James said it's important to invest in a hand-cranked radio, ham (amateur) radios, and walkie-talkies. The prepper explained that cell towers and the internet could very likely be knocked out in a world war, meaning people will need ways of communicating and receiving information that don't rely on network signals. 'Being able to have access to an evacuation order is important, whether it is a natural disaster or a war,' James said. 'Virtually every person has a cell phone, I still see cell phones as an important survival tool - I suggest people have the means to power those when the grid goes down,' he explained. As for your fuel and energy needs, having a supply of gasoline for a vehicle, propane for heat, portable generators if there's a blackout, and even solar panels to store reserve power can all help keep your shelter running if power goes out nationwide. If you can no longer stay in the shelter you've prepared for doomsday, James had three final tips on what you'll need while fleeing the destruction of World War III. The first is a go-bag, a backpack full of emergency supplies and vital documents that can be grabbed instantly as you evacuate your home or shelter. However, one of the major issues people have while creating a go-bag is finding out that critical forms of identification, like a passport. James urged everyone to make sure passports and other travel documents are up to date, should they need to evacuate on a moment's notice. 'More people are pursuing a second passport if it is available to them, a lot of countries now offer them in terms of heritage,' James added. 'This won't be an option for some people, but it is a growing topic in the prepping community. I'm in Maine, if something happens, I'm closer to Canada, it would be faster to go to Canada than to get to any other state,' he detailed. Lastly, as more and more people strictly use credit cards and digital payment apps, James recommended having multiple forms of currency available, including paper money for more than one country. 'You need to protect your finances and make sure you have cash on hand. You need to diversify into things like silver, gold, and even crypto can be good if it is stored offline,' James explained. 'If another country is part of your plan B, make sure you have currencies in those countries. A global war could mean that banks freeze, ATMs go dark, and the dollar collapses,' the doomsday prepper warned.
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Suspect in Minnesota lawmaker's killing was ‘prepper' preparing ‘for war'
The man charged in connection with the recent shootings of two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses was a doomsday 'prepper' who instructed his family to 'prepare for war' as he tried to evade capture, according to new court filings. Vance Boelter, 57, faces multiple federal and state murder charges after allegedly shooting dead the Democratic Minnesota state house speaker emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, in the early hours of 14 June. Boelter is also accused of shooting and seriously wounding the Democratic state senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, about 90 minutes earlier. In a newly unsealed affidavit first reported by the local news station WCCO and seen by the Guardian, law enforcement pulled over Boelter's wife and four children hours after the shootings near Lake Mille Lacs, about 75 miles (120km) north of the Twin Cities, apparently en route to Wisconsin. Boelter's wife consented to a search of her vehicle, where law enforcement located a revolver in the glove box and a semi-automatic pistol in a cooler. Police also found a safe, Boelter's and the children's passports, and at least $10,000 in cash, according to the affidavit by FBI agent Terry Getsch. Boelter's wife told investigators that her husband had recently sent a message to a group text thread with their children, which 'stated something to the effect of they should prepare for war, they needed to get out of the house and people with guns may be showing up to the house', wrote Getsch. According to the affidavit dated 14 June, Boelter and his wife were preppers – a term which refers to people who stockpile materials such as weapons, food and gasoline. Preppers' purpose for doing that is to survive a future major disaster or catastrophe such as war or economic or political collapse. At some point earlier, Boelter had given his wife a 'bailout plan' – instructions of what to do and where to go in case of 'exigent circumstances'. The plan specified that the family go to her mother's residence in Spring Brook, Wisconsin. She also told investigators that her husband 'has a business partner from Worthington' who lives in the state of Washington. The two were 'partners … in Red Lion, a security company and fishing outfit in Congo, Africa', the affidavit states. The deadly shootings took place as millions of people prepared to take to the streets to protest against the Trump administration and its assault on free speech, peaceful assembly and due process rights embedded in the US constitution. Getsch wrote the affidavit during what became the largest ever manhunt in Minnesota state history, when he believed the gunman may have fled state lines. Boelter was eventually captured two days later while trying to evade arrest by fleeing into a wooded area close to his home. The affidavit does not imply that Boelter's wife knew about her husband's alleged plans to attack the lawmakers. She has not been charged with any crime. Boelter was disguised as a police officer and drove a black SUV with a license plate that said 'police'. He allegedly ambushed the lawmakers at home in the middle of the night, banging on their front doors armed with a 9mm handgun, and wearing a black tactical vest and silicone mask. He exchanged fire with police at about 3.30am on Saturday outside the Hortmans' home but managed to flee the scene, according to a federal criminal complaint. According to separate court documents obtained by WCCO on Friday, law enforcement found a storage locker rented by Boelter in Minneapolis on 10 June. He had last 'used his access code' for the locker the day before the shootings. Investigators later found empty rifle cases, gun-cleaning supplies and a bike inside the locker. Law enforcement found a 'hit list' of individuals inside what they believe was Boelter's vehicle. It included Hortman, Hoffman and several other Democratic lawmakers, as well as reproductive rights advocates. In a statement released on Thursday, the Hoffman family recounted the terrifying attack. The statement said: 'We are grappling with the reality that we live in a world where public service carries such risks as being targeted because someone disagrees with you or doesn't like what you stand for.'
BBC News
21-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Minnesota shootings suspect was a 'prepper', FBI says
The suspect accused of fatally shooting a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband in a gun rampage last week was a doomsday "prepper", according to the wife of the accused, Vance Boelter, told investigators the family was among a small group of Americans who "prepare for major or catastrophic incidents", said a court 57, has been charged with killing Democratic House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, last also seriously wounded Democratic State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. Police say there is evidence he was planning to target others. Police captured Mr Boelter in woods last Sunday after a two-day wife was pulled over in a traffic stop hours after the shootings. She was taking their four children to stay with friends, according to investigators. Jenny Boelter told the authorities her husband had warned her in a message that she should flee, documents show. "The text stated something to the effect of they should prepare for war, they needed to get out of the house and people with guns may be showing up to the house," wrote FBI agent, Terry Getsch, in an affidavit released on her car, investigators found about $10,000 in cash, passports and two guns. Mrs Boelter has not been charged with any said her husband had given her a "bailout plan", for what to do if she ever needed to leave the Boelter also said her husband had a business partner in the north-western US state of Washington and that they ran a security company and "fishing outfit" called "Red Lion" in Congo, Africa. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat, has called the shootings an "act of targeted political violence".According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, Mr Boetler wrote a rambling and incoherent letter addressed to the FBI in which he claimed the state's governor had ordered him to kill Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar as part of a supposed plot for Walz to take her spot in the Senate. There is no evidence of any such and Minnesota's other US senator, Tina Smith, along with Walz, were among Democratic politicians on a list of around 70 targets found in Mr Boetler's possession, according to local suspect disguised himself as a police officer to gain access to the homes of the two US lawmakers he shot, police have said. He was wearing a vest with a Taser and a badge. Yvette Hoffman, who survived the attack, was released from the hospital on Thursday, while her husband remains in care. Mrs Hoffman was shot while shielding her daughter, Hope, from gunfire. It was Hope who called 911.
The Guardian
21-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Suspect in Minnesota lawmaker's killing was ‘prepper' preparing ‘for war'
The man charged in connection with the recent shootings of two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses was a doomsday 'prepper' who instructed his family to 'prepare for war' as he tried to evade capture, according to new court filings. Vance Boelter, 57, faces multiple federal and state murder charges after allegedly shooting dead the Democratic Minnesota state house speaker emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, in the early hours of 14 June. Boelter is also accused of shooting and seriously wounding the Democratic state senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, about 90 minutes earlier. In a newly unsealed affidavit first reported by the local news station WCCO and seen by the Guardian, law enforcement pulled over Boelter's wife and four children hours after the shootings near Lake Mille Lacs, about 75 miles (120km) north of the Twin Cities, apparently en route to Wisconsin. Boelter's wife consented to a search of her vehicle, where law enforcement located a revolver in the glove box and a semi-automatic pistol in a cooler. Police also found a safe, Boelter's and the children's passports, and at least $10,000 in cash, according to the affidavit by FBI agent Terry Getsch. Boelter's wife told investigators that her husband had recently sent a message to a group text thread with their children, which 'stated something to the effect of they should prepare for war, they needed to get out of the house and people with guns may be showing up to the house', wrote Getsch. According to the affidavit dated 14 June, Boelter and his wife were preppers – a term which refers to people who stockpile materials such as weapons, food and gasoline. Preppers' purpose for doing that is to survive a future major disaster or catastrophe such as war or economic or political collapse. At some point earlier, Boelter had given his wife a 'bailout plan' – instructions of what to do and where to go in case of 'exigent circumstances'. The plan specified that the family go to her mother's residence in Spring Brook, Wisconsin. She also told investigators that her husband 'has a business partner from Worthington' who lives in the state of Washington. The two were 'partners … in Red Lion, a security company and fishing outfit in Congo, Africa', the affidavit states. The deadly shootings took place as millions of people prepared to take to the streets to protest against the Trump administration and its assault on free speech, peaceful assembly and due process rights embedded in the US constitution. Getsch wrote the affidavit during what became the largest ever manhunt in Minnesota state history, when he believed the gunman may have fled state lines. Boelter was eventually captured two days later while trying to evade arrest by fleeing into a wooded area close to his home. The affidavit does not imply that Boelter's wife knew about her husband's alleged plans to attack the lawmakers. She has not been charged with any crime. Boelter was disguised as a police officer and drove a black SUV with a license plate that said 'police'. He allegedly ambushed the lawmakers at home in the middle of the night, banging on their front doors armed with a 9mm handgun, and wearing a black tactical vest and silicone mask. He exchanged fire with police at about 3.30am on Saturday outside the Hortmans' home but managed to flee the scene, according to a federal criminal complaint. According to separate court documents obtained by WCCO on Friday, law enforcement found a storage locker rented by Boelter in Minneapolis on 10 June. He had last 'used his access code' for the locker the day before the shootings. Investigators later found empty rifle cases, gun-cleaning supplies and a bike inside the locker. Law enforcement found a 'hit list' of individuals inside what they believe was Boelter's vehicle. It included Hortman, Hoffman and several other Democratic lawmakers, as well as reproductive rights advocates. In a statement released on Thursday, the Hoffman family recounted the terrifying attack. The statement said: 'We are grappling with the reality that we live in a world where public service carries such risks as being targeted because someone disagrees with you or doesn't like what you stand for.'
