Many preppers DO work to create parallel structures -- the "bomb shelter" approach is pretty plainly just a way to buy a little time in the event of catastrophe

Many preppers DO work to create parallel structures -- the "bomb shelter" approach is pretty plainly just a way to buy a little time in the event of catastrophe (but it does come in quite handy in the event of the far more common blizzard, hurricane, tornado, or heck, pandemic). Prepping on basic skills will likely outlast any stockpile of Chef Boy-ar-dee (and besides...after 6 months of that stuff and nothing else, do you really WANT to survive?). But all that aside, the issue is, nobody is quite sure what exact scenario they're prepping for. Simply having a buffer so you can avoid needing to panic while some direction is felt out is worth having, but the limitations of it are worth being aware of as well.