Surviving World War III: A Prepper's Reality Check

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Could you realistically survive World War III as a prepper? The uncomfortable truth is that your chances are slim—even with extensive preparations. A sobering 2022 study reveals that a full-scale nuclear exchange between major powers would result in approximately 5 billion deaths within two years, primarily from starvation rather than direct blast impacts or radiation. This episode cuts through prepper fantasies with unflinching honesty while still offering practical guidance.

Modern global conflict presents challenges far beyond what most preppers anticipate. Cities become immediate targets, infrastructure collapses within days, and nuclear winter could render agriculture impossible for years. Rural locations offer marginal advantages at best, while the widespread effects of radiation, food chain disruption, and societal breakdown create nearly insurmountable long-term survival obstacles.

Yet this harsh reality doesn't mean prepping lacks value. The same preparations that might extend your survival during global conflict—stockpiling food and water, learning critical skills like water purification and first aid, implementing basic security measures, and building community networks—serve you exceptionally well during more likely scenarios like extended power outages, severe weather events, and economic hardships. Perhaps most crucially, these preparations provide peace of mind and a sense of agency in an increasingly unpredictable world.

The mental resilience aspect of prepping deserves special attention. By accepting realistic limitations, practicing stress management, focusing on controllable factors, and celebrating small victories, you build psychological fortitude that proves invaluable during any crisis. Whether you're facing a two-week power outage or temporary unemployment, the practical skills and preparations you develop today translate directly into tangible benefits regardless of whether the ultimate doomsday scenario materializes.

Subscribe, leave a review, and join us next week for more practical prepping insights that don't require a fortune or a bunker.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to World War III Survival
• 1:40 Harsh Reality of Global Conflict
• 4:42 Practical Prepping Steps for Beginners
• 9:12 Building Security and Community Networks
• 11:59 Mental Resilience and Final Thoughts
• 15:20 Episode Wrap-up and Resources

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Their service has issued a severe thunderstorm warning. Welcome to the Common Sense Practical Prepper Podcast, where prepping doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. Coming to you from a well-defended, off-grid compound high in the mountains. Coming to you from his Florida room in Richmond Virginia, neither off-grid nor well-defended, unless you count as chickens and cats, here is your host, keith.

Speaker 2: 0:31

Hey, all this is Keith and welcome back to the Common Sense Practical Prepper podcast, august 15th 2025. So I'm going to dive into a deep kind of tough subject, this one tonight. Could you survive World War III as a prepper? In the interest of full transparency, I'll be completely honest. I think the odds of surviving this are pretty low, and maybe not for the reasons that you think. All right, we'll get into that in a second. So a global conflict like this it's going to be a game changer More than likely will involve nukes. It's going to be a game changer. More than likely will involve nukes, electrical grid going down, cyber attack, significant supply chain disruption. But prepping for World War III does not mean that your preps are going to waste. So tonight I'll break down why World War III is going to be so tough and what you can do to boost your chances, and how some of these same preps are going to be very helpful in the less than doomsday scenarios like power outages and economic strife.

Speaker 2: 1:35

All right, here we go. So we're going to talk first about the harsh reality of World War III. So we talk about World War III. We're not talking about, you know, in the movies, tanks rolling through the woods, people jumping out of foxholes. A modern global conflict will involve nukes, cyber attacks, shutting down the grids and even biological threats. The fallout, literal and figuratively, is going to be intense. There was a study in 2022 that paints a very grim picture of what World War III could look like. A full-scale nuclear war between two major superpowers us, russia, china, china versus Russia. Whomever, this particular war would kill approximately 5 billion people in two years. Here's the kicker. It's not from the nukes themselves, it's not from the fallout necessarily. Most of those people are going to die from starvation, primarily because of disruption in the food chain Already. From the start, we're fighting an uphill battle, all right. So why is World War III such a tough nut to crack?

Speaker 2: 2:47

First, if nukes are in play, cities are prime targets. If you live in an urban area, the immediate blast or radiation is going to be game over. Rural preppers might have a slight edge, but fallout doesn't care. If you live in the woods, it doesn't care your particular address, it's going to spread with the wind. Second, infrastructure is going to crumble very fast. No power grid means no lights, no power, no refrigeration, no gas pumps, no ATMs. Grocery stores, again, like I've said before, will empty in days. So, as we go through this, you'll notice a theme. You'll notice several things that I've spoken about in the past couple weeks. The grocery stores are going to be empty in just a few days, even if you have a pantry full of canned goods. How do you keep going when clean water is at a premium? Keep going when clean water is at a premium. The bands of people coming through the neighborhood, knocking on doors, kicking down doors, looking for food, water and shelter, all right. And third, the long game is going to be absolutely brutal. Nuclear winter could wreck agriculture for years, make it nearly impossible to grow food, contaminated soil, disease, chaos.

Speaker 2: 4:06

So, as a prepper, I believe in being straightforward and honest in giving my opinion as I see things. So, surviving World War III, surviving something this big, is a long shot, even if you have a bunker and a decade's worth of beans and rice. But here's the thing Prepping isn't about guaranteeing survival in your apocalypse. It's about giving yourself options, buying time and being ready for smaller crises that are way more likely than World War III. All right, so let's go into some specifics about what you can do. All right, so World War III sounds like a nightmare, and it absolutely is. But let's focus on a little thing. Let's focus on what you, as a beginning prepper doesn't have to be complicated, doesn't have to be expensive, what you can do to boost your odds in the short term and how some of these preps will help in a less than extreme situation, like a hurricane or a job loss.

Speaker 2: 5:05

And I was putting together the script for this tonight and I totally forgot about job loss. We're talking about grid down, hurricanes, tsunamis, severe storms, supply chain issues. I never even considered about a job loss. What if you live alone and you lose your job? What if you're a two-income home family and your spouse or your partner loses their job? That is certainly a situation where preps would come in handy. I'm actually going to do some more research on that and I may come back later with an episode about that. So again, I've said a million times so the key is to start small, practical and keep it affordable. So here are the four steps to get you started and you're going to believe me, what I'm going to cover here is stuff that I've covered in the last maybe couple three months Stock up on the short term For World War III, maybe a couple three months.

Speaker 2: 6:05

Stock up on the short term For World War III, aim for one to three months of food and water. So if World War III kicks off, the first few weeks or months when things like Food storage, power outages will hit the hardest, you don't need the fancy freeze-dried meals although certainly an option, and if you can do it it's going to do a lot for morale, though they're great and if you can afford them, so go for the basics canned veggies, peanut butter. A 20-pound bag rice at a big box store, like at Costco, can run as little as $10. And depending on the rice that you get, it could be much more expensive than that. And that 20-pound bag can feed you for weeks and your family for several weeks.

Speaker 2: 6:56

Now, when it comes to storing water, fema will say one gallon per person per day. I say, if you have the room and the money, two gallons per person per day. Now if you go one gallon and you have 80 gallons and you have room for it, increase it. But remember, if you're doubling it you're doubling the storage and you may not have necessarily the room to go from 80 to 160 or 100 to 200. So a family of four would need 120 gallons of water per month and that's using it sparingly. So start just with a few cases of bottled water, five gallon jugs from the grocery store, then obviously you can work up to the big blue barrels and that sort of thing. So rotate your stock, rotate your food, eat what you store and store what you eat.

Speaker 2: 7:53

Second, learn a few key skills In a crisis. These will be your lifeline skills In a crisis. These will be your lifeline. Water purification, boiling water works Okay, tried and true. But a portable water filter like the Sawyer, the Sawyer Mini, there's all these gravity bags, lifestraw there's a million different options out there.

Speaker 2: 8:14

Learn basic first aid. I know I sound like a broken record last week talking about first aid. Learn how to clean a wound and use a tourniquet. Don't die from infection. Don't make it through World War III or make it halfway through World War III and then you die. Don't die from an infection because you were not able to properly clean a wound or use a tourniquet. You can find the tutorials on YouTube Red Cross, stop the Bleed.

Speaker 2: 8:42

Basic First Aid, cpr. They're out there. Go ahead and take them. And if you have a backyard or balcony, try gardening Even a few pots, tomatoes, herbs, whatever it happens to be. First, it teaches you the basics. It's very inexpensive and this just it isn't you know for World War III your little victory garden Growing food can be used if you go camping, heavy storms or just to save a few bucks, all right.

Speaker 2: 9:11

Third, let's talk about security. If society gets shaky, you might face looters or desperate people. You will face them. I'm not saying you turn your house into Fort Knox or go out and buy some huge underground bunker, but very simple steps. Reinforce your door with longer screws Covered. That last week Just a few bucks at the hardware store. Learn situational awareness. I preached that for years. Notice who is around you and what's going on around you for years. Notice who is around you and what's going on around you. Keep your phone charged and have a plan to get home safely in the event there's an EMP, in the event you have to abandon your vehicle. So if you're comfortable and it's legal in your area, consider basic self-defense training or tools.

Speaker 2: 9:54

I'm talking about firearm safety. I'm not talking about judo and karate. I'm talking about firearm safety. If you're not familiar with firearms, if you're not comfortable shooting a firearm, please go take a class work with a friend who is familiar with firearms and get used to shooting, but something that I've spoken about before your best defense is community. All right, so building a network fourth, building a network.

Speaker 2: 10:21

Going it alone sounds cool and maybe for safeties or operational security OPSEC that might be the best thing to do, but in a real crisis you are going to need the assistance of other people. Talk to your neighbors, join a local prepper club, if such a thing exists, or even get to know folks, even folks that you talk to friends, family. You might be surprised about just how a simple conversation might turn into emergency preparedness. Share your skills. Like I've said before, everybody in your family, everybody in your group, needs to play a role. Know how to fix a broken window, know how to fix a generator If your generator goes down. Know the basics fuel filter, oil filter. Know how to fix a generator if it craps out on you. So in a World War III scenario, a tight group of people sharing resources is probably your best bet. So invite a neighbor over for coffee, talk about your emergency plans and you might be surprised on where something like that goes. Stocking up learning skills, securing your space and your building community gives you a fighting chance in the early stage of this crisis and your building community gives you a fighting chance in the early stage of this crisis. All of these preps can be used for things less than the world coming to an end.

Speaker 2: 11:47

Let's talk about mental resilience and realistic expectations when it comes to World War III. I've talked about this, I think, last week. Your mental well-being First, accept your limits. As I said from the start, surviving a full-on World War III is definitely a long shot. If someone drops a nuke and the world goes dark, even the best preppers might only buy themselves a few weeks or a few months, and that's okay, because prepping isn't about cheating death forever. It's about giving yourself options, and knowing what you've done brings you a peace of mind, and that's what I do A hedge on inflation, peace of mind, and that is huge.

Speaker 2: 12:33

When it comes to your mental well-being in situations like this, start practicing stress management. I know it may sound silly deep breathing exercises, getting your chakras and your yin and your yang aligned, or whatever you're supposed to do, but Tai Chi I think I'm going to try Tai Chi. I'm about the most uncoordinated white guy you've ever seen. I can't dance. I can barely chew gum and walk at the same time, I doubt if I can keep my balance and do the old wax on, wax off or whatever they were doing in Karate Kid, but I'm going to give it a shot. There's always praying. Well, there'll be a lot of praying when World War III comes along. Trust me. There's always folks in church. There's always people you can talk to. Go out, get some fresh air, try to de-stress as best you can Because, like I said last week, you, as the leader of your family or your group, when the poop hits the fan, people are going to look towards you for your leadership.

Speaker 2: 13:29

Only focus on what you can control. I have no control over the price of gas. I have no control over the war between Russia and Ukraine, so I don't worry about that. I only worry about the things, the tangible things that I can control in my life. If I worry about everybody else and every other thing going on in the world, I would be paralyzed with fear and I would not be able to accomplish anything. Learn how to sew. Talk to your friends about your emergency plans. Little wins pile up quickly and they can make you feel less helpless in the end. So here's the big takeaway from tonight Prepping for World War III isn't about World War III.

Speaker 2: 14:14

The steps we've talked about stockpiling, skills, security, community mental tough're going to be without power for 10 days to two weeks. It's not going to be pretty very low chance of survival. And what I found very telling was 5 billion people worldwide are going to die from starvation. And once I did the research and once I read that it kind of makes sense. You don't need to drop 32 nukes on the United States or on any other country to have it make a lasting effect and eventually be fatal to almost everybody involved. All right, folks, I'm glad I was just Mr lollipops and rainbows and brought a little sunshine into your life on this Friday evening. But thanks for stopping by folks. Again, real quick, I am a part of the Augustin Farms affiliate link. I'll drop a link in the show notes. You click the affiliate link and when you check out, if you put in podcast prep all one word you'll get an additional 10% off of that order. Again, folks, thank you so much and, as always, be safe out there, take care of one another and until next time.

Speaker 1: 15:49

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