Johnny O is ready for Doomsday

DINGMANS Ferry — “Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice," go the opening lines of Robert Frost’s poem "Fire and Ice." No matter how the world might end, Dingmans Ferry resident Johnny O wants to be ready for it.

“Everyone prepares when they think something is worthy,” Johnny said during a telephone interview, as Hurricane Sandy pounded the area with wind and rain. “Take this storm, for example. People have been going nuts for the last few days. But me? I’m set.”

Johnny, an environmental scientist and wetlands specialist who focuses on invasive species of plants and animals, says he has been studying naturalism and survivalism since he was in grade school.

“It’s always been a hobby of mine, and I’ve always excelled,” Johnny said, recalling a two-week river camping expedition he embarked on at the age of 12. By himself.

Johnny’s knowledge and instincts haven’t gone unnoticed, either, when the National Geographic Channel’s "Doomsday Preppers" documentary series aired an open casting call. Johnny and his family were chosen immediately when they responded via email.

“Within 24 hours, they were all over us,” Johnny said.

The show released a “prepper profile,” in which Johnny says he is “preparing for a series of terrorist attacks on the nuclear facilities of this country." Johnny says his truest fear is “the continued collapse of society as we know it.”

“People will eventually look back and say, ‘We should have seen it coming,’” Johnny says.

While he admits to not knowing what “it” is, and hopes that nothing ever happens, Johnny says the implosion and collapse of society in recent years leads him to believe otherwise.

“I’m a scientist. I’m a data man. I’m a numbers man,” he said.

He said there are statistical probabilities to back up all of his theories.

In case of emergency, break glass

Johnny and his family have full medical and surgical kits complete with medicines, and books ranging from folk and herbal remedies to army medical books and surgical guides. They stock six to eight months' worth of homemade dehydrated food for the family of four. They grow their own fruits and vegetables and hunt their own meat. They also have water storage—several gallons of potable water at hand at all times, several rain collectors, and a hot tub holding 550 gallons of life’s most precious fluid. The pond behind their home and a nearby lake are backup sources of water. Johnny stresses the need for backup plans. “No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy," said Johnny, quoting German military strategist Helmuth von Moltke.

Dingmans Ferry itself is also part of Johnny’s master plan. He said he moved his family here from Hackettstown, N.J., to take advantage of the “strategic and defensive options” the area provides. More importantly, Johnny “doesn’t believe people would act ethically in a panic situation or do-or-die circumstance,” so the less densely populated area would allow more time for action.

Johnny will appear on both the preview episode and season premiere of "Doomsday Preppers," airing on Nov. 4 and Nov. 13, respectively.

Anyone who wants to know more about survivalism or to subscribe to his blog, he can be reached at dingmansferrysurvivaldude@gmail.com.