Coronavirus: American ‘preppers’ have been waiting for a moment like this

The narrow, worn track in West Virginia, close to the foothills of the Appalachians, leads to a camp set back in the woods, where a group of US survivalists began preparing for the collapse of civilisation long before the arrival of the new coronavirus that has brought so much of the world to a halt.

Boxes full of family-size tins of food, bags of freeze-dried victuals that can last up to 25 years, rice, flour … the survivalists did not wait for the wave of panic buying that has emptied shelves across the country: their provisions were already neatly stacked up in a bunker made of reinforced concrete and dug a metre (yard) into the ground.

Ever-ready, they even have ample supplies of two of the most sought-after commodities in the jittery country: toilet paper and face masks.

“It’s worth a lot of money now!” joked Steve Rene, presenting the 100-acre (40 hectares) site that he manages as though it were a holiday camp. Which it kind of is.

The Fortitude Ranch’s motto embraces both End Times and more normal times: “Prepare for the Worst … Enjoy the Present!” Members have up to two weeks each year to revel in this rural retreat, enjoying nature, hiking or trout fishing in the appropriately named Lost River.

Friendly and clear-headed, Rene, the manager of the West Virginia site – there is another branch in Colorado – tries from the outset to sweep away the clichés surrounding survivalists, also known as “preppers” for their constant Doomsday preparations.