Apocalypse America: Three of the top informative Prepper / Survivalist websites

The May 2013 print issue of Reason magazine reports that the Federal Emergency Management Agency wants US citizens to be prepared, not just for a potential Doomsday, but for floods, hurricanes, earthquakes and any other disaster natural or…manmade.
Interesting.
More often than not, liberals and the mainstream media portray Preppers -- or survivalists -- as nutty, far-right extremists, despite (or maybe spurned on by) popular television shows such as ‘Doomsday Preppers’ on the National Geographic channel.
Take, for example, the Newtown shooter’s mother, Nancy Lanza. When it was discovered that she owned a large gun collection, she was quickly labeled and vilified as a ‘Doomsday Prepper,’ and this has been used to ‘explain’ the shooter’s, Adam Lanza’s, impetus for perpetrating the massacre of 26 children and adults in that incident. It has also been used by gun control advocates as justification for the continual onslaught of attacks on the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution.
Lanza’s former sister-in-law, Marsha Lanza said [Nancy] had turned her home ‘into a fortress’.

‘Nancy had a survivalist philosophy which is why she was stockpiling guns. She had them for defense.
‘She was stockpiling food. She grew up on a farm in New Hampshire. She was skilled with guns. We talked about Preppers and preparing for the economy collapsing.’

Another interesting twist: A FEMA ad currently appears on the front page of the American Preppers Network. The ad asks: Do you meet President Obama’s Prepper Standards?
So, even Barack Obama has developed criteria for being a successful Prepper? The FEMA website actually devotes an entire section to the Prepper movement and disaster preparedness.
This is indeed surprising (and to most conservatives, suspect) since it wasn’t too long ago that Rand Paul warned from the senate floor, in a speech against particulars included in the National Defense Authorization Act (signed by Barack Obama in January, 2013) that the government considers owning guns and storing more than 7 days of food as possible terrorist activity.
Preppers are certainly not terrorists, but realists. Also a certainty: A true Prepper does not follow federal government guidelines for disaster preparedness. There are numerous community groups, forums, and websites created by US citizens and devoted to survivalists and the Prepper movement.
Here is a list of the top three websites, selected based on the highly respected web-ranking system Alexa (as of 2013, Alexa provides traffic data, global rankings and other information on more than 30 million websites).
Each site in this list offers valuable information on a variety of topics that anyone concerned with disaster preparedness -- natural or manmade -- would find beneficial.
It is most interesting to note that at least two of the top three survivalist websites are owned and operated by former US military personnel.
The modern-day Prepper movement has been building in the US since the 1960s when the ephemeral threat of nuclear war became a distinct reality. It has seen a resurgence in the past decade, following the events of 9/11, and continues to grow throughout the country as informed US citizens experience the vice-like grip of a federal government spinning out of control.

Number One Survivalist Website shtfplan.com

Number One Survivalist Website

“When it hits the fan, don’t say we didn’t warn you.”
With an Alexa ranking of 4,355, no information is provided on the owner, and the DNS records are private, as well.
This site offers plentiful links to preparedness solutions, informative and regularly updated articles (sorted by date and category), as well as an impressive list of links to other websites where all types of survival gear may be purchased.

Number Two Survivalist Website survivalblog.com

Number Two Survivalist Website

“The Daily Web Log for Prepared Individuals Living in Uncertain Times.”
With an Alexa ranking of 5,700, this site, established in 2005, was once promoted as the standard by which all other survivalist websites are judged.
Blog owner and author, Jim Rawles, is a former U.S. Army Intelligence officer and technical writer. He states on the site, “SurvivalBlog is my creation, but because of SurvivalBlog, I'm part of something bigger: a virtual community of some of the most brilliant people that you could ever meet. Despite our differences, we all have an interest in preparedness.”
Check this out link for a general summary of Rawles’ survivalist philosophy.

Number Three Survivalist Website thesurvivalistblog.net

Number Three Survivalist Website

“Plan. Prepare. Survive.”
With an Alexa ranking of 18,966, M.D. Creekmore, owner and editor of the site, is a full-time survival author, blog writer, and emergency preparedness consultant. He is the author of “31 Days to Survival” and ”The Dirt Cheap Survival Retreat“ both published by Paladin Press.
Creekmore writes, “My main goal is to show ordinary people how to become better prepared for an uncertain future. The articles here are based on real-world experience. You will find helpful tips, guides and checklists – focusing on a very modest budget. Most importantly, you will find a preparedness community whose members are willing to help each other learn and how in the journey of self-reliance and self-sufficiency.”
Check out one of the most important and informative sections of this blog, Preppers List : 10 Things To Do Now!