Cobb survivalists gather to prep for semi-doomsday

Survivalists and preppers gathered at the Cobb Galleria recently with this costly goal in mind: Be ready if the nation goes way bad.

“There’s more of us out there than you think,” said Dan O’Hara, who organized the Atlanta Preparedness Expo, part of a five-city national circuit.

Vendors at the for-profit event sold everything from body armor and riot helmets to fire starters, water filtration set ups and seeds. Some preppers also think about comfort and bartering: O'Hara said that's why his personal stock includes a year's supply of toilet paper.