US Prepper movement is on the rise

For the super-rich it is not an option to wait at home what the corona virus brings. The demand for protected exclusive shelters has risen sharply in recent months. Like a modern Noah’s ark for the wealthy, but in an old rocket silo, deep underground, and equipped with everything you could need during a pandemic or worse.

There is little to see from the outside, amidst the void of Kansas. But beyond the fence, the heavily secured door and behind 2.5 meters thick concrete is a complex that goes into the ground for 15 floors. There is a swimming pool, gym, spa, cinema, climbing wall and even a dog walking area.

The apartments can be decorated to taste. There is a luxury kitchen, a bathroom and all possible amenities that the owner wants. The only thing missing is windows. HD televisions are installed instead. You can choose any view and even a live image from the cameras above the ground.

In the Cold War, this was a launch site for nuclear missiles. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, they were either broken down one by one, or sold for little to farmers who used the land for their cows.
Potential

Larry Hall immediately saw the potential. Those launchers were unused there, while they have unique properties. They can withstand a nuclear attack. They are stronger than earthquakes, and they are central yet far from the crowds. Ideal for when you want to survive during the worst crisis.

Depending on the size of their apartment, owners can take several family members with them. There is plenty of food. Enough freeze-dried food is stored in the silo to last ten years. Moreover, there is a modern artificial garden where, in time, seventy different types of fruit and vegetables must grow. There is a fish farm in a separate room.

At first Hall was still looked at strangely when he explained his plans. But with the advent of corona virus, things are going better than ever. His first complex is full, the second is under construction.

“We’ve never had so many people show an interest,” he says. “I have never experienced this before. I notice that people have a much more urgent feeling and are much more serious than before. ”

America has a vibrant scene of preppers, people preparing for imaginative major disasters. Similar facilities as Larry Hall’s facilities are also seeing an increase in demand. Preppers camps, where people collectively prepare for the worst, have waiting lists. Prepper webshops are sold out.

However, Hall does not specifically target these preppers. The 75 people who can take shelter in his complex must, above all, be able to interact well. He doesn’t want adventurers. He is looking for rich like-minded people who want to sit out a disaster at rest. Buyers are first screened extensively before they are eligible for an apartment.

Super deluxe survival comes with a price. Apartments in the first complex go for around a million dollars. A second complex, which will be much larger, is under construction. A two-storey underground penthouse retails from $ 4.5 million. Half a floor goes from $ 1.5 million.

Billionaires have very different priorities than a large stock of toilet paper. For example, a customer from Saudi Arabia chose an apartment with an underground mosque and a hidden helicopter hangar.

The corona crisis is causing a buying fever among billionaires. His second complex is also almost sold out. This month he sold an apartment without having to show the buyer around. The deal was settled based on photos.

Wealthy real estate developer Tyler Allen is happy to have a hiding place. He compares it to the country house of the president.

“It’s like a kind of Camp David for your family. A place to stay until everything is safe. ”

With the outbreak of the coronavirus, Allen is reaffirmed in his decision to purchase an apartment.

“At first people pretended to be crazy, like I put on an aluminum hat. Now everyone certainly takes us seriously. ”