Business
Business

Cobb survivalists gather to prep for semi-doomsday

By Matt Kempner
April 29, 2016

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.

Find out what it costs to prepare for six months off the grid and who would do such a thing, plus what federal officials say we really need, in my latest Unofficial Business column on myAJC.com.

About the Author

Matt Kempner is an award-winning journalist who seeks out intriguing twists about people and subjects beyond what the AJC might typically cover. A former columnist and editor, his past assignments have included business investigations, energy, the economy, entrepreneurs, big business, consumer spending, politics, government and the environment.

Follow Matt Kempner on facebookFollow Matt Kempner on twitter
More Stories

Keep Reading

A vintage Volkswagen Beetle that looks like Herbie, the Love Bug. (Photo courtesy of iStock.)

Credit: Special

Opinion: Why do we name our cars?

Have you named your car? Many of us do. Perhaps more than half of all Americans have named at least one of their rides, one survey found.

‘Big, beautiful bill’ passage dims outlook for Georgia’s clean energy sectors

Georgia has been one of the top states for solar and electric vehicle manufacturing investment. Some warn that's at risk after passage of the "one big, beautiful bill."

Amid UPS struggles, shipper makes first-ever plans to offer buyouts to drivers

UPS said in a written statement it is navigating “an unprecedented business landscape.”

The Latest

A vintage Volkswagen Beetle that looks like Herbie, the Love Bug. (Photo courtesy of iStock.)

Credit: Special

Opinion: Why do we name our cars?

Home Depot makes $5.5B acquisition to increase business with pro contractors

Atlanta’s TNT Sports will no longer produce NBA TV programming

Featured

UPS driver Dan Partyka delivers an overnight package. As more people buy more goods online, the rapid and unrelenting expansion of e-commerce is causing real challenges for the Sandy-Springs based company. (Bob Andres/AJC 2022)

Credit: TNS

Amid UPS struggles, shipper makes first-ever plans to offer buyouts to drivers

UPS said in a written statement it is navigating “an unprecedented business landscape.”

Kneeling man impaled by giant straw? Towering mural leaves public mystified.

A towering mural on the side of the Connally Hotel has mystified Atlanta since 2011. Who is the kneeling man, and what's piercing him? Is it a beam of light? A drinking straw?

OPINION

I just graduated college. Will I be able to buy a house like my parents did?

A recent college grad asks: Am I going to be able to buy a home like my parents did less than 30 years ago?