She's the married Arizona mother-of-three whose prophecies of impending doom have inspired thousands of people to sell their possessions and prepare for disaster.

Now followers of Julie Rowe, 42, are claiming that Monday's Utah flooding disaster is one of the events predicted by Mrs Rowe - who says the beginning of the end of the world will start this month.

Mrs Rowe has written two books about visions she had in September 2004 during which she was shown a catalog of disasters, ranging from floods to war, that would lead to the apocalypse and the Second Coming of Christ.

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Controversial: Mother of three Julie Rowe has written two books detailing the visions she had in September 2004 after which she made a series of prophecies predicting the end of the world - expected to be this month

Devastating: Monday's flash floods saw sixteen people, all mothers and children, lose their lives

Disquiet: The predictions included in Mrs Rowe's opus The Time Is Now have caused disquiet in some quarters but are believed by an estimated 10,000

But while Mrs Rowe has amassed a sizable following, not everyone believes in her prophecies and her work has proved anathema to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints where elders have publicly condemned it as 'spurious'.

For her followers, however, who thought to number around 10,000, her views are to be taken very seriously indeed.

Indeed, convinced her claims are true, many have begun stockpiling dried food and everyday essentials from specialist shops such as Emergency Essentials.

'Our online sales have seen a steady increase as a result of these floods,' said Emergency Essentials marketing manager Kevan Allbee.

'The California drought, the Blood Moon eclipse coming to North America on September 28th, Middle East unrest, US Presidential elections - all have created a sense of uncertainty and anxiety.

He added: 'As we always say, however, whether it is for "the Big One" or the "100 Little Ones" that continually threaten our lives and lifestyles, it’s always time to prepare.'

Mrs Rowe's prophecies have been published in two books, the first of which, entitled A Greater Tomorrow, details her foray into the 'Spiritual World' in 2004.

There, she writes, she was met by an ancestor named John who agreed to be her guide and allowed her to read from 'the Book of Life' which showed her a vision of Earth's past, present and future.

But it is the second, The Time Is Now which was published last year, that really raised eyebrows.

Tragedy: The flash floods that killed nine in Utah last night have been taken as a sign of imminent disaster by 'preppers' - Rowe's 10,000-strong army of followers. Pictured: Horrified locals watch rescue attempts

Still looking: Rescuers searching for missing victims continued hunting for survivors late into the night

Devastating: The twisted wreckage of two vans washed away in the Utah flash floods on Monday

'The heavens will let loose and the powers of darkness will rage. There will be natural disasters on a massive scale unlike anything the earth has experienced before. Earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, plagues, droughts, famines, pestilence and all manner of disasters will be upon the earth in such a deep and broadened scale that mankind cannot even imagine what it will be like. Julie Rowe's prediction for what will happen this month

In it, she elaborates on the contents of the Book of Life, writing of impending wars, famines, plagues and, crucially, tsunamis - many scheduled for this month.

'Within a matter of a few years, it is my belief that the Saints will be called to gather,' she writes. 'It will not be long before foreign troops will invade America and the earth will erupt in chaos.

'The heavens will let loose and the powers of darkness will rage. There will be natural disasters on a massive scale unlike anything the earth has experienced before.

'Earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, plagues, droughts, famines, pestilence and all manner of disasters will be upon the earth in such a deep and broadened scale that mankind cannot even imagine what it will be like.'

She continues: 'The world as we know it will cease to exist.'

Mrs Rowe says she has now given up eating fish after one vision showed the world's seas being poisoned by the fallout from the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011.

'I was shown that the contamination from the Japanese nuclear waste would continue to be spread through the ocean,' she writes.

'I was shown that this nuclear waste would continue to be spread throughout the ocean. I was shown this nuclear waste has and will continue to radiate and contaminate sea life.'

Although the 2011 disaster did not result in a nuclear spill, Japan did announce on Monday that 850 tonnes of 'decontaminated' ground water from the plant have been released into the sea.

Emergency Essentials: Shops such as the one pictured have sprung up to cater for the needs of the preppers

Staying safe: Other preppers have purchased bomb shelters and other items designed to help them survive

Other claims include her belief that 'conspiring men' will 'continue to lie' to people about safety issues concerning food, water and disease.

She also writes of the 'tent cities' in which the righteous will live as they await the Second Coming and plans to move herself and her family, husband Jeff and three children Ethan, Spencer and Aubrianna, into one by June next year.

'I was shown various scenes pertaining to life in the camps and elsewhere,' she explains. 'I witnessed my family and others living in these tent cities.

'I saw that we were camping year-round and that the circumstances required us to utilize both cool weather and warm weather clothing.'

Tragic: The 'large wall of water' that crushed the cars was triggered by heavy rain pounding nearby canyons

No chance: The wrecked cars rest by the bank of Short Creek just outside Hilldale, Utah

Mrs Rowe, who grew up in a military family of 10 and had a peripatetic childhood in 10 different states as well as Heidelberg in Germany, also offers advice for those preparing to follow her example.

'You would focus on food, water and possible sanitation issues,' she advises.

'It is very likely that you would also encounter the need for other basic survival gear and skills in the event that electricity and other modern conveniences are no longer an option.'

She also discusses physical preparation, telling of her dedication to walking in a bid to 'get the extra weight off'.

The 42-year-old, who is currently refusing to speak to the media, certainly appears to have taken her own advice, leaving her modest white-washed Tuscon home behind and canceling her cell phone.

Gone: Until recently, Mrs Rowe and her family lived in this white-washed suburban house in Tucson, Arizona

Controversial: Mrs Rowe's predictions and her two books have been deemed 'spurious' by elders of the Church of the Latter Day Saints

Nonetheless, public appearances are planned in the coming weeks according to her website, as the countdown to the September 28 blood moon - when a further disaster is scheduled to occur - continues.

Despite the growing band of believers who set store by every word she writes, Mrs Rowe isn't without critics - among them the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which added her work to a list of 'spurious materials in circulation'.

In the document, which was updated and re-published at the end of August, they said her books are 'not endorsed' by the church and 'should not be recommended' to students.

It continues: 'Although Sister Rowe is an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, her book is not endorsed by the Church and should not be recommended to students or used as a resource in teaching them.

'The experiences she shares are her own personal experiences and do not necessarily reflect Church doctrine or they may distort Church doctrine.'

More criticism has come from disgruntled former adherents who have been left furious and out of pocket after earlier prophecies made by Mrs Rowe failed to come true.

One, writing on the LDS Freedom Forum, declares one prophecy, in which Mrs Rowe claimed there would be skyrocketing food and fuel prices from March 2014 onwards, 'a miss'.

AI2.0 wrote: 'Did any of you notice if food, water and other things "skyrocketed" in price? Were supplies of these commodities limited?

'This did not describe events here in Utah, I am not aware that this description actually happened. I did notice a small increase in food prices but gas has taken such a plunge over the last few months that it has helped considerably.

There were some 'big events' but this is so vague a way to describe things, she can't be proven wrong. In my opinion, I would call this "prophecy" on Julie's part a miss. AI2.0 - a former follower of Mrs Rowe

'There were some "big events" but this is so vague a way to describe things, she can't be proven wrong. In my opinion, I would call this "prophecy" on Julie's part a miss.'

Another, using the moniker Bee Prepared, described Mrs Rowe's works as 'opportunistic publishing' but qualified his remarks by adding:

'The fact of the matter is that we are to follow the Prophet. Her vision the last days make me uncomfortable. It is also very repiticious [sic].'

Discussing another prophecy, in which Mrs Rowe claimed that Ebola would be one of the 'big plagues' to hit the US, a former follower named Dubs writes:

'In the book she stated that she seen Ebola [spreading across the US], but it was not the major plague that hit America [in 2014].'

Other members of the prepping community, who aren't among Mrs Rowe's followers, say that regardless of the veracity of her prophecies, the message to be prepared is a good one.

'I think anything you can do to be prepared for emergencies is a good thing,' says Pat Henry, editor of The Prepper Journal.

'If it takes this woman [Mrs Rowe] to spur you to plan for water, food, shelter and security I think that is a good message overall.

'If she can motivate you to start looking at the prospect of having to be responsible for your own life in a disaster, on the surface I think that is great advice.'

For all the criticism, Mrs Rowe, who writes that she expects to be living in a tent waiting for the end 'by June 2016', appears unabashed by the storm swirling around her.

Indeed, she claims to have foreseen skepticism, writing in the The Time Is Now that some who initially believed her would break away while reiterating that she expects to be proved correct in the long run.

In spite of the doubters, for the legions inspired by Mrs Rowe's work - many of whom have sold everything they own - Monday's Utah floods can mean only one thing: the apocalypse is upon us.