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The worst Ebola epidemic on record is currently underway. In West Africa, the deadly virus has killed over 4,000 people and a small number of European and US health workers have also contracted the disease. Today, Britain began screening travellers at Heathrow for signs of fever. For a small group of "preppers", it's now time to think about what might happen next. They've decided they won't be taking any chances.
In a quiet Bedfordshire village, Lincoln Miles has been stocking up on supplies. He has protective clothing like gas masks boxed up and ready to roll in case he and his household have to "bug-out" and go to a more remote location. But in the event of a pandemic, Miles thinks his chances would be better if he were to isolate himself at home. He has enough rations, water filters and other supplies in storage, he says, to keep him, his wife and his children alive for, "at least a year". "If Ebola did come to the UK, I think me and the immediate family would be prepared and we could survive that without any issue," he tells WIRED.co.uk.
Miles also runs a shop for preppers where he sells survival gear, NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) suits and other paraphernalia popular with those who plan for catastrophe. But his NBC suits are currently out of stock. "Normally we would sell five a week," he explains. "Though at the moment we've gone up to about 20 or 30 sold in the past week."
Stuart Hurd has experienced a similar rush on biohazard equipment. He owns an online shop called Survival Gear UK. "I've sold more NBC suits in the last week than I've probably sold in the last 12-18 months," he says. "I've actually sold out and funnily enough all my suppliers have also sold out. We're not able to get hold of any more, at least at the moment."
Yet the transmissibility of Ebola remains low. It's much harder to get than flu, for example, because the virus isn't airborne.
Many have cautioned against taking a reactionary approach and the truth is that a pandemic is extremely unlikely. Many preppers are aware of this, but however small the chances of disaster, the whole point of prepping seems to be that such scenarios are taken into account.
There are certainly signs that the prepping community has now begun discussing Ebola as a serious threat. On forums like UK-Preppers.co.uk, conversations about Ebola have been growing in number and several people have signed up as new members claiming that it's the Ebola scare which has encouraged them to think seriously about becoming preppers.
[Quote##"I think we're always one step ahead of everybody else"
##John Bland##KeepInline##Id¬1d0bsk]
Elsewhere, experienced preppers like John Bland, who lives in Lancashire, have taken protective steps early. Bland has recently bought his own supply of NBC suits and while he believes that the risks of a pandemic are indeed low, he argues that he'd rather be ready for even the most unlikely development. "It's always good to prepare just in case it does happen," he comments. Bland is a retired professional martial artist and has plans to secure and defend his home in the event of a crisis situation. His primary objective, however, would be to take care of his children and also his wife, who suffers from a debilitating condition called fibromyalgia. "My preps always have to take in account of that as well," he explains.
Bland has dehydrated foodstuffs, canned goods, a large amount of non-perishables such as pasta and a few weeks' worth of water stored in the family home just in case. "With the prepping community, I think we're always one step ahead of everybody else.
We're constantly monitoring what's going on and checking out what might be a threat to our particular area as well as worldwide," he says.
But while he and his cohorts have been monitoring the Ebola outbreak carefully, he's keen to stress that he feels any precautions taken so far have been sensible. "We're not at panic stations yet."
Another Brit who has considered the threat of Ebola is ex-pat Steevi Ware. Originally from West Sussex, Ware now lives in Majorca. He's researched the transmissibility of Ebola and believes that good personal hygiene and isolation might be more helpful than buying lots of protective suits. "Isolating yourself from the issue is more important than buying the kit in my opinion," he explains.
Still, Ware does have some gas masks stowed away that he can put on if need be. What's more, he has no fewer than five secret "bug-out" locations and a refitted caravan, which he has converted into a rolling bug-out mobile. "I've installed a proper air conditioning unit in there. I've got a generator as well as fuel. I've got ration packs and of course just all the other stuff you have for the holiday as well," he says as he describes the vehicle, which also has its own solar panel, 12v~100ah battery and a water pump to help collect rainwater for filtration.
Ware has even thought about what he would do if he had to get home from the capital, Palma, should the only main road to where he lives be cut off. For now, he's not overly worried about Ebola but he says if any cases were picked up at the local airport, that's when he'd start thinking about putting some of his planning into action.
Like all the preppers who spoke to WIRED.co.uk, Ware explains that he feels he has taken these steps without "panicking". "When I first started prepping, I prepped out of fear. I was so worried about this and so worried about that," he says. "But the more I prepped, the more I felt like I had a back-up plan and a back-up-back-up plan, the better I felt, the safer I felt and the fear sort of melted away. I became a confident person. I think that's what prepping is for me. Prepping is taking away the fear."
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
