Doomsday

Dennis McClung and we quote: "I'm preparing for a coronal mass ejection in 2012 that would likely take out the electrical grid and knock civilization back to the Stone Age."; Lisa Bedford takes urban preparation to a new level in case of a complete financial collapse; The Culver and Hunt families combine forces and have some of the best resources for self sustainability.

America's Doomsday plan. It's the government's ultimate playbook, with a strategy for even the darkest hours—developed when Cold War tensions were high, but never used until 9/11. In American Doomsday, fly in an E4-B—the president's command, control, and communications center for times of national catastrophe; go inside the secret bunker used by government officials on September 11; and witness how the luxurious Greenbrier Resort became a critical, top secret congressional bunker.

Some American families have drastically altered their lifestyles in order to survive what they fear will be the end of the world. Johnny O fears a terrorist attack on nuclear power plants, and his prepping philosophy is always having backups for your backups. He is a husband and father of two who lives with his wife and his wife's twin sister, who also knows their bug out plan.

Meet Jason Beacham, a 15-year-old boy from a small town in Missouri who has been prepping since age 11. Jason fears anarchy following economic collapse. Big Al is a musician based in Nashville, Tennessee, who has a secret bug-out location in the mountains of the west. He fears a nuclear attack from Russia. Braxton Southwick is a former professional racer who lives with his wife and their six children in a suburb outside of Salt Lake City. He is prepping for a biological terrorist attack.

At some point, we've all wondered what will happen to our economy. Jay Blevins has probably thought about it more than most. He is a former law enforcement officer who is preparing for a global economic crisis. He fears that social unrest will erupt and has found creative ways to protect his family, including his own recipe for homemade pepper spray.

Some preppers believe in safety in numbers -- as is the case for Jeff Mann, who leads "the Colony," a community of 25 preppers unified with the single purpose of surviving doomsday. Watch as he prepares his son, Colten, to take the reins by having him hunt down live boar in the Florida swamps and builds the Colony's very own gallows -- an important message that there are laws to be upheld, even in times of chaos.

An economic collapse could mean total chaos for the U.S. -- looting, riots and civil unrest are top concerns. In Washington state, Steve works with a stern hand to prep his family for the potential threat. South Carolinian David Appleton is a comedian, but the idea of a devastating earthquake is no joke to him. His job doesn't always pay the bills, so David must Dumpster dive to find supplies to make a DIY camouflage net to hide his preps.

Could an explosion on the surface of the sun cause mayhem on Earth? Jason and Jacob are a father-son team from Alabama who are prepping for exactly that: a global solar flare with the potential to wipe out power grids around the world. Jason was almost stranded for good in the wilderness when he was 19, but that will not stop him from prepping in those very same woods by molding his own ammunition and preparing his 20-piece bug-out pack.

Meet Jimi Falcon, who is prepping for a potential World War III. Jimi built his home to withstand the extreme climate of Montana. Next, meet Cindy Stewart, who began prepping for a foreign nuclear attack on the U.S. following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Cindy uses her taxidermy skills to create camouflaged IEDs. Lastly, get a close-up look inside Rod Godfrey's military-style command and control center he built in his home to protect himself from apocalyptic superstorms.

After losing his job, Nick Klein began prepping for an economic collapse. Nick keeps rabbits that he believes will give him all the food, fuel and fertilizer he needs to survive. Patrick Troy began prepping for societal collapse caused by a catastrophic event after the birth of his only child. He is building a multi-tiered perimeter defense system around his house. Keith Ford is prepping for a second civil war that he believes will destroy American society.

Roger Dougan lost his home in a fire seven years ago. He's working to become self-sufficient through prepping, so he never has to feel helpless again. Before the 2000 New Year, Curtis bought a generator and stocked up on food and water, but it occurred to him that if something serious did happen, he wasn't nearly as prepared as he should be — so he became a prepper. Karissa Baca lost her job during the 2008 financial crisis, causing her to realize how fragile the economy is and begin prepping.