I asked a very well known Anglo kiruv rav (he probably wouldn’t mind me mentioning his name but I won’t just in case) about prepping – not necessarily for end of the world but just in case of a major disaster. My shaila wasn’t so much on stocking food, etc but more on having a family plan in case of major disasters/emergencies, etc. His exact words were, “There is nowhere to escape from Hashem. You need no plans”
I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of prepping but I’ve never really delved into it because of a personal theory I have called the “sprained ankle” theory. It goes like this – somebody can have all the right gear, a good weapon, a hiding place, etc. But when everything collapses and they go into survival mode all of a sudden one day they trip on a stone and sprain their ankle badly now no longer being able to run from danger or the like quickly enough so all the amazing preparation and training was for naught because of an unpredictable chance occurrence.
It doesn’t need to be a sprained ankle – it could be anything (getting food poisoning, competitors for food or shelter getting the jump on you, etc). The sprained ankle itself just represents how despite our best planning we are totally unable to plan for even the most simplest of things Hashem can throw our way.
That theory has basically kept me from spending a lot of time and energy getting involved in prepping. Though I still think it would be amazing to know how to start a fire without matches or know what kind of plants you can eat in the wild, etc.