CDC Press Release - Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse

As much as I'd like to think I was the first to realize this cultural anomaly, the CDC beat me to it. On May 16, 2011 (a full year before I probably even realized the zombie apocalypse was an actual thing) the CDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - published an official press release about the zombie apocalypse. Yep, they went there.

But let's be real, it wasn't about zombies at all. Like us, the CDC saw the pop culture obsession with the zombie apocalypse and decided to use it as an opportunity to get society's attention about an important issue. Preparedness! They make the point that precautions need to be taken to ensure that we can survive if something horrible happens. 

In case you're too busy (or lazy, no judgement) to read the article yourself, here are some of the highlights that they give to help people get prepared for the "zombie apocalypse" (aka a real disaster):

They explain that it's better to be safe than sorry, and that if something awful does happen it could take several days for you to get to a refugee camp or, in case of a natural disaster to get to an evacuation shelter or for power to be restored. Thus, we need to be able to survive until help arrives. And to survive they make a list of things to have in your emergency kit:

• 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) 

The CDC also recommends that you have an EMERGENCY PLAN! Though many people make their own (and I'm sure we'll get around to doing that ourselves, although we've kind of figured it out... mostly) here is what the CDC suggested in their press release:

1. Identify the types of emergencies that are possible in your area.
2. Pick a meeting place for your family to regroup in case zombies invade your home... or your town evacuates because of a hurricane. 
3. Identify your emergency contacts. make a list of local contacts like the police, fire department, and your local zombie response team. 
4. Plan your evacuation route... Plan where you would go, and multiple routes you would take, ahead of time so that the flesh eaters don't have a chance.

So, what have we learned from the CDC? 1. Ride the waves of pop culture for successful marketing and social awareness. 2. We must be prepared (if you won't listen to me at least listen to the experts at the CDC). 3. Keep an up to date emergency kit prepared in your home - we'll be posting soon about the best things to do for that, don't you worry! And finally 4. Have a plan. Make sure you know what you need to do in each type of disaster. You can even print out this one right here and laminate it (in case of a flood, look at us being all prepared!). 

Though the CDC was kidding about the zombie infestation, hopefully, they were serious about being prepared. And so are we. As we get prepared I hope you'll join us. Better safe than sorry!

If you have any questions about emergency preparedness don't hesitate to post them in the comments. We'd be happy to answer them, who knows, maybe you'll get an entire post dedicated especially to you!