The Zombies are Coming!
Happy Halloween all! The Zombies are coming and they will eat your candy (which hopefully will be cheerfully given to them) and scare young children around your neighborhood. Yet, depending on who you speak with there is a very real zombie threat. I went to an Emergency Preparedness Fair in June that actually had a “defending yourself from a zombie attack” class. Personally I feel if you’re close enough to use martial arts on a zombie, then your fate is sealed. Everyone that I have talked to though is completely unable to explain where this concern stemmed from, or if there’s any real basis for it. I’ve heard everything from a bizarre pandemic to biochemical terrorism, and even references to the new drug that has been causing disturbing and violent attacks in some parts of the country. However the CDC has realized that this possibly irrational fear is a great motivation to get more people prepared for a “real” emergency. What ever it takes, I guess.
However my wonderful prepper brother in law (who works for Homeland Security and has a zombie killer patch on his bag) offered what I think is the most logical and insightful explanation. The zombies are simply the unprepared!
We’ve all seen the news reports of those caught in disasters, the unprepared and the ones who chose not to heed the evacuation warnings. These are often the ones that beg for assistance, loot stores, and cause chaos in shelters. If you’ve ever seen someone fly into a panic then you can see the logic behind this theory. How many neighbors have you talked to that simply state their plan is to visit their crazy well stocked neighbor’s house in the event of a disaster, because that’s a reliable plan – someone else will take care of me. These are the zombies! They will clamor at your doors begging for food, water and medical care, all on the premise that you will have prepared for them. Depending on the occasion the gory, dirty zombie appearance may not be that far fetched. (Hope I’m not scaring you!) For the serious preppers, defense is a real part of their emergency plan, and needless to say this scenario could easily turn into the nightmare that most zombie movies portray.
So are you the zombie? Are you prepared for any disaster? Have you been relying on someone else to meet your needs and carry you out in an emergency?
In light of this philosophy, the CDC is right in preparing people for a Zombie Apocalypse. Prevention is the best medicine! If you’re prepared for a zombie attack than you really are prepared for any real emergency, and therefore you will not become the zombie crawling up your neighbor’s driveway in search of food, water, or shelter. It’s a zombie vaccine! So after you’ve taken your neighbors kind candy handouts tonight, enjoy eating that stash of loot while making an emergency plan or rotating your 72 hour kit. If you aren’t prepared at all and need some help getting motivated enjoy the CDC’s graphic zombie novella and get yourself scared and prepared.
How to Prepare for a Zombie Attack
- Identify possible disasters in your area
- Make a plan
- Make a kit
- Stock up on food, water, and first aid supplies
See our National Preparedness Month Challenge page for more preparedness steps to ensure you don’t participate in a zombie apocalypse.
Happy prepping to all and to all a spooky night!
Happy Halloween from Shelle and Tyra at www.preparednessmama.com