'Recession Apocalypse': Preparing for the End of the World

BUSKIRK, N.Y., May 15, 2009— -- In the serene hills of rural upstate New York, Kathie Breault is hunkering down for doomsday. It's not an all-out Armageddon that the 51-year-old grandmother is convinced of, but an imminent economic apocalypse.

A few years ago, Breault began reading about what happens when the world surpasses "peak oil" -- a point where we will use more oil than we can produce.

"I was afraid that any day that oil would disappear, that gas would start to disappear, that I wouldn't be able to get to work, I wouldn't have money, I wouldn't have food that I needed," she said. "It was frightening -- the picture that was painted."

Breault and a growing number of so-called "economic survivalists," are convinced that when oil supply wanes, the world will head for calamity; governments and the global economy will dissolve into chaos and collapse, the group believes, changing life as we know it.

"Everything that we do in our lives is dependent on abundant, cheap energy -- all the clothes we wear, the food we eat, the transportation. We've lost everything that we know about how to live in a different way," she said. "I'm totally dependent on a system that I think isn't going to be there in the future."

To prepare for a looming catastrophe, Breault began eating healthier, walking four miles a day and biking. She lost 100 pounds as a result. Getting rid of her TV and credit cards, she slashed her monthly expenses and now heats her entire house with a tiny wood-burning stove.

"It gets cold, I wear a hat to bed and I wear lots of layers. I wear long underwear all winter," she said.

Breault's survivalist lifestyle marks a radical departure from the consumer-driven life she used to lead.

"I was in the malls -- big Christmases, big holidays. Every weekend, I was entertaining my family, we had great get-togethers, lots of food. I took trips to Mexico and Ireland and across the country, conferences. Eat, drink, have a good time," Breault said. "I had a wonderful life. I traveled where I wanted to, I did what I wanted to, and I bought what I wanted to. And I overconsumed."