I read a post recently on Facebook.
‘One day in the future you will reach down into our coat pocket and pull out a little blue mask and smile to yourselves and think ‘2020 what a year, what a pandemic Covid -19 was’. You’ll put your mask back in your pocket pick up your machete and then wander out into the zombie apocalyptic landscape on your way to the grocery store’.
We have all said it, ‘Covid won’t be the last pandemic, maybe the next one will be worse’, but maybe instead of getting a cold you’ll get a thirst for blood and then destined to wander the earth looking for flesh… let us hope not.
But imagine my surprise when I found on the world CDC website the very formal and serious ‘Center for Disease Control’ a section on Zombie Preparedness. I thought it was a joke, but – it wasn’t!
The Pentagon developed a zombie strategic scenario titled “CONPLAN 8888” in 2014, and the Center for Disease Control created a guide for zombie preparedness in 2015. It is not that these governing bodies have been watching too much TV and after season seven of the Walking Dead, decided they better get ready. But they did see was the level of interest zombie movies and Tv series created and they capitalised on it because the emergency preparedness be it, zombies, Tsunami, Ebola or Covid remains pretty much the same.
There are many types of emergencies out there that we should prepare for. Even a zombie apocalypse.
You may laugh now, but when it happens, you will be happy you read this, and maybe you might learn about preparing for all emergencies.
The first element of being prepared is that you get it done before you need it. There is no point running around trying to find a machete when the zombies are already climbing through the window. So whether it’s zombies, pandemics, earthquakes, tsunami it is better to be prepared.
Top of the list should be an emergency kit. You can purchase these already made up. But it should include things like water, food, and other supplies to get you through the first couple of days before you can locate a zombie-free zone (or in the event of any major issue it will buy you some time until you are able to make your way to an evacuation area or civil defence designated area).
Below are a few items you should include in your kit,
- Water (4 litres per person per day)
- Food (stock up on non-perishable)
- Medications (this includes prescription and non-prescription meds)
- Tools and Supplies (utility knife, duct tape, battery powered radio, etc.)
- Sanitation and Hygiene (Antiseptic, soap, towels, etc.)
- Clothing and Bedding (a change of clothes for each family member and blankets) and we suggest a survival blanket.
- Solar battery charger – For phones, radio
- Important documents (copies of your driver’s license, passport, and birth certificate to name a few)
- First Aid supplies (although your number is up if chewed on by one of the walking dead, but you can use these supplies to treat basic cuts and lacerations that you might get during an earthquake or cyclone)
Once you have 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 to shuffle down the street. You can also implement this plan if there is a flood, earthquake, fire, or another emergency.
Identify the types of emergencies that are possible in your area. Besides a zombie apocalypse, this may include floods, tsunami, or earthquakes. If you are unsure contact your local civil defence for more information.
Pick a meeting place for your family to regroup in case zombies invade your home…or your town evacuates because of a Tsunami as coastal towns did in early March this year. Pick one place right outside your home for sudden emergencies and one place outside of your neighbourhood in case you are unable to return home right away.
Identify your emergency contacts. Make a list of local contacts like the police, fire department, civil defence, neighbours to check on. Also, identify a contact that you can call during an emergency to let the rest of your family know you are ok.
Plan your evacuation route. Hungry zombies and be pretty determined to eat you so you need to act fast. But like the Tsunami warning in March, this year which created major traffic jams and should the tsunami have arrived would have been catastrophic. You need to plan where you would go and multiple routes of escape, plus how you are going to get here for example it might pay to bike rather than drive.
Lastly don’t be dumb. If there is a pandemic and you are asked to stay home – stay home. If there is atsunami warning do not go down to the beach to have a look – follow civil defence warnings as if they are 100% correct and then hope that they are not.
Get a Kit, Make a plan, Don’t be dumb
Be Prepared.
