The Housewife Prepper: Helping Millions Be Prepared for Emergencies
Jason Nelson, founder of PrepperBeef.com, explained how most people overlook how much food their family would need in case of a catastrophe, and gave tips on how to better prepare.
A Montana woman known as the “Housewife prepper” is helping millions of people get ready for emergencies and be prepared in the event of a natural disaster, conflict with a foreign nation or another pandemic.
The “Housewife Prepper” TikTok and Instagram pages were started in 2023 by Carrie, a California native who lives in Bozeman, Montana, with her husband, Colton.
Promoting Readiness After the Chinese Balloon Incident
Her first video was posted after last year’s Chinese balloon incident when the high-altitude device flew across North American airspace. The U.S. Air Force eventually shot it down off the coast of South Carolina.
“I was like, oh my gosh, you know, this is a no-controlled situation. We need to start preparing for anything,” Carrie told Fox News Digital. “We’re allowing this other country in our airspace, like what’s next?”
The popular “Housewife Prepper” accounts have garnered millions of views. (Photo by Camille Delbos/Art In All of Us/Corbis via Getty Image / Getty Images)
The video included essentials people could utilize in case of a domestic attack, such as batteries, a solar crank radio, and stockpiled water. After positive comments flooded in and the clip garnered over 4 million views in the first two weeks, Carrie continued offering followers advice.
The Rise of Prepping
While old media and Hollywood incarnations of the “prepper” are often depicted as paranoid, lonely men rampant with conspiracies, prepping has slowly become more mainstream, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a March report by Zion Market Research, the global survival tools market is expected to reach $2.46 billion by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 7 percent from 2023 to 2030.
Companies have cropped up dedicated to freeze-dried food for long-term storage and large corporations like Costco have started supplying emergency food packages.
“We should all be aware of what’s going on and take care of our families ourselves and not rely on the government to take care of us in a disaster situation,” Carrie told Fox News Digital.
As a woman, Carrie naturally doesn’t look the part of the once-fringe idea of prepping as depicted in television and movies. But her videos have been consumed by millions of people from different demographics.
Practical Tips for Preparedness
Now, she is branching out, buying propane, emergency antibiotics, and other supplies to ensure adequate provision. She said that as nurturers, women have a natural inclination to prevent the worst in any situation, especially when children are involved.
Carrie’s upbringing in earthquake-prone California profoundly impacted her preparedness mindset. Her father always made sure the family was
