Preparing for 'the end of the world as we know it'

From the Spectrum: Preparing for 'the end of the world as we know it' CEDAR CITY - A TV show on the National Geographic Channel, called "Doomsday Preppers," about people preparing for an end of the world event along with the belief the Mayans predicted the end of the world in 2012, has brought a surge of interest in emergency preparedness across the United States. "This is more than just casually getting ready, it's a lifestyle," said Rajul Mistry, communications specialist with the National Geographic Channel. "In a survey from Yale, it shows most people believe some cataclysmic event will take place in the not to distant future. These same people say they aren't prepared so they like to watch shows about people who are." The survey states 71 percent of Americans envision a major natural disaster in their lifetime, 27 percent of Americans believe the Mayan calendar's prediction about a calamitous event in Dec. 2012 to be at least "somewhat true" and 85 percent of Americans do not feel they are prepared for a devastating event. Clett Mansfield lives with his wife in a small trailer in unincorporated Iron County and says he knows there will be an "end of civilization event" soon, for which he says he is prepared. "It's not a question of if, it's a question of when," Mansfield said. Mansfield says he lives 99 percent "off the grid," meaning he doesn't rely on outside sources for food, water or electricity. Mansfield said the most likely occurrence he is prepared for is a breakdown of the government caused by an economic collapse, but the possibility of sun flares that could knock out power across the world is another concern. "In the end it's the same result," he said. "People will be starving waiting for someone to help them, while those of us who prepared will be fine indefinitely." Mansfield said he has goats to provide milk and meat, chickens, a fishpond and a hydroponics greenhouse to grow food year round. He also owns a large stockpile of guns and ammunition. "This is how it will play out. The grid will go down and then we'll have government agents going from town to town and house to house taking people's food for governmental stores. We'll need to protect ourselves from them if we hope to survive."