Saturday, May 21, 2011

CDC on Zombie Apocalypse Preparedness

Get A Kit,    Make A Plan, Be Prepared. emergency.cdc.gov

The Centers for Disease Control has issued a document dealing with the possibility of a zombie apocalypse, including advice on how individuals can prepare for it. One of their recommendations is to have a bugout bag handy, because you probably wouldn't want to hang around if a bunch of flesh-eating undead were lurking around the area. Here, in part, is what they have to say:

"So what do you need to do before zombies…or hurricanes or pandemics for example, actually happen? First of all, you should have an emergency kit in your house. This includes things like water, food, and other supplies to get you through the first couple of days before you can locate a zombie-free refugee camp (or in the event of a natural disaster, it will buy you some time until you are able to make your way to an evacuation shelter or utility lines are restored). Below are a few items you should include in your kit, for a full list visit the CDC Emergency page.
  • Water (1 gallon per person per day)
  • Food (stock up on non-perishable items that you eat regularly)
  • Medications (this includes prescription and non-prescription meds)
  • Tools and Supplies (utility knife, duct tape, battery powered radio, etc.)
  • Sanitation and Hygiene (household bleach, soap, towels, etc.)
  • Clothing and Bedding (a change of clothes for each family member and blankets)
  • Important documents (copies of your driver’s license, passport, and birth certificate to name a few)
  • First Aid supplies (although you’re a goner if a zombie bites you, you can use these supplies to treat basic cuts and lacerations that you might get during a tornado or hurricane)
Once you’ve made your emergency kit, you should sit down with your family and come up with an emergency plan. This includes where you would go and who you would call if zombies started appearing outside your door step. You can also implement this plan if there is a flood, earthquake, or other emergency.

  1. Identify the types of emergencies that are possible in your area. Besides a zombie apocalypse, this may include floods, tornadoes, or earthquakes. If you are unsure contact your local Red Cross chapter for more information.
  2. Pick a meeting place for your family to regroup in case zombies invade your home…or your town evacuates because of a hurricane. Pick one place right outside your home for sudden emergencies and one place outside of your neighborhood in case you are unable to return home right away.
  3. Identify your emergency contacts. Make a list of local contacts like the police, fire department, and your local zombie response team. Also identify an out-of-state contact that you can call during an emergency to let the rest of your family know you are ok.
  4. Plan your evacuation route. When zombies are hungry they won’t stop until they get food (i.e., brains), which means you need to get out of town fast! Plan where you would go and multiple routes you would take ahead of time so that the flesh eaters don’t have a chance! This is also helpful when natural disasters strike and you have to take shelter fast.
If zombies did start roaming the streets, CDC would conduct an investigation much like any other disease outbreak. CDC would provide technical assistance to cities, states, or international partners dealing with a zombie infestation."

Read more
Thanks to The Urban Survivalist for the heads-up on this.

3 comments:

farmlady said...

You have got to be kidding....

Nan said...

And everyone claims the government doesn't have a sense of humor. It is a great way to get people to think about something they usually wait until too late to do: preparing for a disaster, either man-made or natural.

The original post drew so much traffic the CDC servers crashed.

Kulkuri said...

Go to the source: http://emergency.cdc.gov/socialmedia/zombies_blog.asp

The zombie mention probably had a lot to do with all the hype about the "End of the World" on May 21st.