Preparing for the Worst - kcentv.com - KCEN HD - Waco, Temple, and Killeen

With natural disasters like Hurricane Sandy and Japan's Tsunami, it can be easy to worry about what you would do in an emergency situation. But some Central Texans are thru wondering.

Outside the Gest's family home, the deer run freely. But what's inside their home is what will keep them enjoying the outside. The Gest's are what you would call "Preppers".

They collecting necessities like food, water and medicines. All for the day an emergency like a tornado happens. Which they say will cause chaos. " 'Here's cases of water, here's food , you need medical help? We have all these doctors standing in line'.  It's not going to happen in a bad disaster. We saw that with Katrina, we saw that again with Hurricane Sandy," says Jim Gest.

They're part of a group of close to 100 "Waco Preppers". Planning for disasters like economic collapse and nuclear fallout. Adam Pfizer is a member, and does it for his family. "To me its not doomsday, end of the world stuff. To me its just being able to take care of your family in whatever situation is going to come,"says Adam Fitzer.

And the prepping trend is spreading. From utility knifes to MRE's, Red Rock Outdoor Gear sells it. And they've seen their business triple.

There's thousands of hunting and prepping items at their store, but one of the things people are looking for are gas masks. "They're outfitting their families and their homes with gas masks just inside a biological attack occurs,"says Guy Meredith, Sales Manager at Red Rock Outdoor Gear.

A simple prepping tip is having a "Go Bag" with a first aid kit, water, food and a fire starter.

The Gests have that checked off their list. But with the help of their Hybrid car, they shouldn't have to leave their home. "Some things will power the freezer, the refrigerator, allow me to have a light on, recharge the batteries on my cell phone. And with the hybrid, you're running off the battery pack that's in the car and then the engine will run just enough to charge the batteries again," says Gest.

The Gest family also has some secret emergency units buried across Central Texas.That way if they need to leave their home, they can get what they need from their secret stash.

Waco Preppers Website

Red Rock Outdoor Gear

Reporter: Tania Ortega

Photographer: Richard Bowes