In an ominous sign for social stability, it's the mega-wealthy who have become the most enthusiastic "preppers."

The left-wing Daily Beast reports affluent European elites are turning to bodyguards in response to a rash of high-profile street crimes and terrorist attacks.

The rich are also in the vanguard of a new wave of interest in survival shelters and underground bunkers, with ever more elaborate and fortified enclosures being constructed.

About 50 miles northwest of Dallas, an entire survivalist luxury community is being planned that features athletic facilities, a polo field and a clubhouse. It also contains more unusual features such as communal greenhouses, an air-purification system, underground shelters and, according to the Houston Chronicle, a "DNA vault."

The British Daily Mirror also reports an American company is creating $1.5 million "earthship" shelters designed to survive radiation outbreaks or a killer virus.