Coronavirus Puts Focus On Preppers
By Richard Banks
Christopher Price is busily moving supplies from one shelf to another in anticipation of more customers coming through the door of his shop. Price opened Prepper Depot and Military Surplus in late 2018, in what looks like an old convenience store on Highway 280, just south of Childersburg. But now, instead of snacks and drinks, military surplus and prepper supplies cover just about every available space. At the counter, where Price usually holds court, there are a few items for display only, including a rusty 19th-century French rapier he bought online.
“Preppers in general, just tend to prepare for tornadoes, storms, electricity being out. Your vast majority of preppers are not prepping for end of times,” he says.
Price says his shoppers are looking for things like wool blankets, sleeping bags, canteens and food with a 25 year shelf life. But with the recent pandemic, Price says he’s been adding coronavirus supplies to his inventory as well.
“You do have your preppers that prepare for the coronavirus thing,” Price says. “They have their toilet paper, they have their hand sanitizer, they have their food. They have all their basics already, so they have no need to go out and try to find this stuff.”
Across the country, stores that sell emergency “prepper” food and supplies have seen a significant uptick in business in response to coronavirus fears. That’s especially true in locations with a lot of Mormons. Steven Wittkop started stockpiling decades ago when he joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Wittkop and his wife are in the process of relocating from Clay to Hoover’s Bluff Park neighborhood, but fast-tracked that plan when it became clear coronavirus would be coming to Alabama.
Richard Banks, WBHM
Steven Wittkop of Hoover believes “community is as important to prepping as having food in the basement. If you’re going to survive, the community is what is going to keep you alive.”
“Yesterday morning at 5:00 a.m., Bev came into the kitchen while I was fixing my breakfast. She says, ‘Stephen, things are getting kind of crazy. You need to go to the other house to … start moving the food,'” Wittkop says.
He’s had to move 2,000 pounds of food and several large food-grade containers he uses to store water.
“If you have two or three 55-gallon drums and put a drop of bleach in it, so that algae doesn’t grow, it’s better than nothing,” he says.
Getting preppers to talk on the record can be challenging. As a group, they tend to prefer anonymity, but those who did speak with WBHM said they wanted to clear up one misconception: they’re not all doomsdayers or anti-government isolationists living alone in the wilderness.
“Preppers in general, just tend to prepare for tornadoes, storms, electricity being out. Your vast majority of preppers are not prepping for end of times,” says Price, owner of Prepper Depot and Military Surplus. “You do have your preppers that prepare for the Coronavirus thing—they have their toilet paper, they have their hand sanitizer, they have their food. They have all their basics already, so they have no need to go out and try to find this stuff.”
A British researcher who tracks preppers in the United States says there was a surge in prepping among conservatives during the Obama administration, but once President Trump took office that declined significantly.
Judge rules immigration officers in Minneapolis can’t detain peaceful protesters
Officers in the Minneapolis-area participating in a U.S. immigration enforcement operation can't detain or tear gas peaceful protesters who aren't obstructing authorities, a judge ruled Friday.
Justice Department opens investigation into Minnesota governor and Minneapolis mayor
Federal prosecutors are investigating Gov. Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey.
No sign of new protests in Iran as a hard-line cleric calls for executions
A Iran returns to an uneasy calm after protests led to a violent crackdown, a senior cleric is calling for the death penalty for detained demonstrators. His sermon Friday also threatened U.S. President Trump.
Gulf South food banks look back on a challenging year as another shutdown looms
Federal funding cuts and a 43-day government shutdown made 2025 a chaotic year for Gulf South food banks. For many, the challenges provide a road map for 2026.
Measles is spreading fast in S.C. Here’s what it says about vaccine exemptions
More than 550 people have contracted measles in Spartanburg County, S.C., in a fast-growing outbreak. Like a majority of U.S. counties, nonmedical exemptions to school vaccination are also rising.
It took 75 governors to elect a woman. Spanberger will soon be at Virginia’s helm
Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA officer and three-term congresswoman, is breaking long-held traditions on inauguration day. She says she wants her swearing-in to showcase the state's modern vibrancy.
