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The Preparedness Movement Is Growing. Are You Ready?

JOHN MINCHILLO / AP
A series of tornadoes touched down in the Dayton area in May.

Disasters happen all the time. We've seen enough hurricanes, wildfires, famines, destabilized governments and citizens in revolt in the 24-hour news cycle to know chaos is everywhere. But do we expect it on our doorstep? Maybe we should.

The preparedness movement, while not mainstream, is growing. Those who advocate for self-reliance against potential disasters are not just building bunkers for the end of the world, they have a diverse outlook on what it means to be prepared.

There's also an undercurrent of mistrust in our public institutions that may bring more people to the movement. From Katrina to the Great Recession, the 2016 election and the Flint, Mich., water crisis, trust is eroding. Couple that with Puerto Rico's devastation, widespread flooding in parts of the U.S., and preparedness may be on many people's minds.

Just this month Manhattan was plunged into darkness by a power outage that trapped people in subways and turned Times Square eerily dim. The power was restored within hours, but are we ready to live off the grid for longer?

Joining Cincinnati Edition to discuss the preparedness movement are Omega Outdoor and Emergency Supply Co.Owner who asks that we just use his first name Matt; The Doom and Bloom Survival Medicine Hour Podcast hosts and authors of The Survival Medicine Handbook Joseph Alton, M.D. and Amy Alton A.R.N.P. (A.K.A. Dr. Bones and Nurse Amy).

Listen to Cincinnati Edition live at noon M-F. Audio for this segment will be uploaded after 4 p.m. ET.

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Michael Monks brings a broad range of experience to WVXU-FM as the host of Cincinnati Edition, Cincinnati Public Radio's weekday news and information talk show.