Disaster can strike at any time. That may sound cliche, but there are millions of Americans who take that possibility very, very seriously.

They are ready with food, water, so-called bug-out bags and sometimes weapons, and they’re not just survivalists living in rural Idaho or Montana. Plenty of so-called “preppers” live in the heart of big American cities and in the suburbs.

So, who are these folks, and what can we learn from them? We’ll be joined by Lisa Bedford, author of the book Survival Mom: How to Prepare Your Family for Disasters & Worst-Case Scenarios, and Waysun Johnny Tsai, founder of the C.U.M.A. Survival School. We also open up the phones to listeners for their questions and comments.