What is doomsday preparation like for billionaires?
With the spread of coronavirus around the whole world, doomsday preparation approaches have gone increasingly controversial. Despite notable advancements in technology and science boundaries, the human is not still completely ready for such pandemic and doomsday-like disasters. However, unlike us, the billionaires around the world are getting ready for the potential apocalypse much better.
The wealthiest “doomsday preppers” around the world have taken notable measures to avoid doomsday disruption. They are preparing for such disasters with expensive moves, from stockpiling weaponry to purchasing super-yachts. The truth is, spending on insurance for the end of the world is no longer something to parade.
Doomsday does not necessarily mean coronavirus and similar pandemic, it can be a big earthquake, a coup, a tsunami, protesters attacking somewhere, political unrest, etc. Let’s see some of the most special endeavors of the rich to prepare for doomsday:
Luxurious bunkers
Building bunkers has been one of the very first solutions for doomsday preppers. Bunkers are super strong, underground houses that can remain safe in case of many disastrous events. Preppers store canned food, bottled water, weaponry, and numerous life-saving tools in bunkers.
The coronavirus pandemic has made the rich focus more deeply on bunkers. Many billionaires are these days building luxurious bunkers with food stores, fisheries, gardens, pools, gyms, dog parks, high-speed elevators, etc. These bunkers can accommodate a dozen families or more.
In 2008, a billionaire purchased a missile silo for $300,000 and turned it into apartments for other billionaires who were worried about the Armageddon and had extra cash. The bunkers today are becoming more and more luxurious and equipped with more material for a long, normal life. These bunkers are all furnished, usually have dishwashers, dryers, and LED screens on the walls showing a live video of the area outside. There are places to raise fish and grow vegetables under lamps. Also, the aquaponic and hydroponic systems are available in these luxurious bunkers.
Purchasing properties in New Zealand
New Zealand is turning into a utopia for the rich. Not very different from paradise, New Zealand is an island with eye-catching scenery, plenty of jobs, excellent weather, unique wildlife, and many more attractions. Many billionaires have bought properties in this country to prepare for the potential apocalypse. They have an escape route to New Zealand in case a catastrophe happens, like a nuclear war or viral outbreak.
Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel was the first person to express the idea of purchasing properties in New Zealand as an apocalyptic hideout. He found the idea inspired by “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy which was filmed in the country. He purchased two properties in New Zealand and obtained citizenship of the country despite having only 12 days passed there. Shortly afterward, many billionaires have gone through the same road.
There are reports that even now some of the rich are dwelling in their New Zealand hideouts, waiting for the COVID-19 pandemic to end.
Since 2018, the New Zealand parliament has changed the rules of purchasing properties from overseas. They were facing a housing crisis in the country. Therefore, they now sell properties to only those who are going to permanently live there and have a “good character,” which is assessed throughout ownership periods. Despite all the strict rules, billionaires are still purchasing properties there with their power and backdoor connections.
Buying lands in remote islands
New Zealand is not the only destination the rich are targeting for the future. Antonio Garcia Martinez, a former Facebook product manager who lives in San Francisco, bought a wide land on an island in the Pacific Northwest. He even equipped the property with generators, solar panels, and rounds of ammunition. He wanted a refuge that is far from cities, but not very isolated, to prepare for potential worldwide chaos.
Helicopters, motorcycles, and private jets
A big share of the measures the rich are taking to prepare for doomsday belongs to purchasing special transportation machines. The head of an investment firm says he keeps a helicopter gassed-up on standby at all times to be ready for an escape. He has a bunker with an air filtration system in addition to his helicopter.
When stuck in a traffic jam, motorcycles are best to pass other vehicles. That is why the rich are purchasing high-quality motorcycles to be ready for potential chaos. Plus, private jets are also getting more and more common between billionaires. The essential target for the rich is to find a way to evacuate their family from the danger zone as fast as they can.
Building super-yachts
In addition to ordinary machines such as helicopter and motorcycles, billionaires are purchasing special boats to sail across the free waters too. Super-yachts are big and luxurious boats that can provide high standards and comfort for a special trip. They are so fast, and around 40 to 180 meters long. Depending on their length, they may have special services and crews, swimming pools, water toys, smaller boats, even helicopters, etc. It is so expensive to charter a super-yacht, let alone purchasing one.
There are reports that some billionaires have purchased super-yachts for their escape plan in case of a disaster. Super-yachts can go fast and enter free waters when things collapse.
Using super-yachts for an escape plan is nothing new; even in the Cold War era, Russian KGB members planned to create a doomsday yacht to leave Europe in case of an emergency. The objective was to create a yacht that was able to reach halfway around the world without refueling. Although the idea is old, it is still considered a fancy approach for the rich to prepare for doomsday.
Elective surgery
Even surgery lies between the strange measures the rich are taking to prepare for the apocalypse. Steve Huffman, C.E.O. of Reddit, was nearsighted until 2015. He decided to undergo Lasik eye surgery then. What makes us surprised is that he did not undergo the surgery for the sake of convenience or appearance. He did it to increase his odds of surviving a disaster. He believes that at the end of the world, it is going to be a huge problem to wear glasses or not be able to see clearly.
In addition to that, Huffman says he has a couple of motorcycles, a bunch of weaponry, guns, and surely food.
Conducting eye surgery for this purpose is not what only Huffman has considered; Yishan Wong, a former C.E.O. of Reddit also underwent laser eye surgery for this purpose. Chances are high that more and more billionaires go under more elective surgeries to make themselves the better race and triumph over their ordinary peers in case of a kind of disaster in which the weak die.
Archery classes
One other strange approach for the rich to prepare for doomsday is learning various defensive measures. Marvin Liao who is an Ex-Yahoo executive took archery classes to learn the skill to be able to defend his family in case of a disaster when everything breaks loose.
Learning archery is just an example. Billionaires may learn different kinds of defensive or attacking skills to be able to cope with unwanted chaos.
Bitcoin
Numerous mega-rich people are these days changing their money to Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin does not belong to any country and government, hence becoming an apocalypse-proof currency. There have been some cases where Bitcoin has proven to be immune to political events. In place of storing gold, many doomsday preppers now tend to buy Bitcoin.
Although the absence of the Internet, as well as electricity, can make rendering Bitcoin impossible, many wealthy people believe that Bitcoin will survive the economic collapse, global pandemic, climate change, nuclear war, and can be restored afterward. After all, in case of a catastrophe, real money in the banks is even less possible to be recovered, if still remained in the accounts, and not robbed.
The way billionaires are getting ready for the apocalypse is totally different from our ways. All of the measures that most American doomsday preppers are taking are limited to purchasing life preliminary needs, such as food. In case a catastrophe occurs, billionaires are definitely going to have a higher chance to save their lives. In other words, money saves a billionaire life, while there is nothing to save others.
