Zombie Apocalypse: It matters to me and it should matter to you

If I was smart, I’d be writing about pumpkins right now.

As I’ve mentioned before, the post here on Dee Says that gets the most hits is one about pumpkins that I wrote back in 2009. And I’m using the term wrote very loosely here. A couple photos, a short blurb...that’s it. And it gets more hits then anything else I’ve posted ever. Even in months that are not October. But it’s not just the one post. I have other pumpkin related posts that also get a good number of hits, especially as we get closer to Halloween. The internet has spoken: They like it when I write about pumpkins.

But I don’t want to write about pumpkins.

Instead I’m going to write about Zombies. Not that zombies really have anything to do with Halloween. Except that they are kind of scary and make an easy costume (or an elaborate one. You really can go either way with zombie costumes). 

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I’m pretty concerned about zombies.

Unlike vampires, werewolves, ghosts and other paranormal/scary creatures, zombies could happen. Don’t roll your eyes at me. Science is pretty screwed up. And awesome. I mean, we clone sheep and make glow-in-the-dark cats, for god sake. You think an experiment gone wrong couldn’t create a zombie? Who would in turn make another zombie, and on and on until the world is in shambles and we’re fighting for our lives. And what about the other popular zombie premise: The Virus. A bit more of a stretch. A new, unknown virus that makes humans rise from the dead. But is it possible? Even in the remotest sense? I think you’d be hard pressed to say that it’s not with 100% (no margin for error) certainty. (Seriously, any Virologists out there, I would like an answer, especially if I’m wrong. Please comment!) 

You might think it’s a waste of time to prepare for a horror that does not yet exist. I say when the hordes of walking dead descend on our streets, it may be too late. Sure, you might fumble your way through, becoming an expert slowly but surely (trial by fire, as they say). Or you might end up joining the ranks of the risen dead army sooner, rather then later. I don’t know about you, but I like living.

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“Why would I devote my life to something like this? Well, let me put it this way. I’ve never had my house catch on fire, but I have a smoke alarm. I’ve never been in a car accident, but I have an airbag. I’ve never gotten scurvy, but I drink orange juice at breakfast.” –Max Brooks, author of The Zombie Survival Guide

If you are prepared for zombies, you are prepared for just about anything life could throw at you. The CDC had it right: Preparing for zombie survival is much like preparing for any other disaster. With a few twists that they strangely left out of their article.

When preparing Zombies, you should start by preparing the same way you would prepare for any disaster: By making a plan. Your plan should include things such as escape routes, evacuation plans, family contacts and meeting places. Make sure you have multiple options for each, in case routes are blocked or meeting places are unsafe. Hint: If you’re already considering a disaster plan ICoZ (In Case of Zombies), it’s not much extra work to include plans for other disasters that could happen in your area. For me that would mean snowstorms, floods and hurricanes. Think about the types of disasters that might happen in your area, and if they might need adding to your plan. Plus, what if there was a mega-disaster like a hurricane hits at the peak of the Zombie Apocalypse. Mother nature doesn’t stop because of zombies, ya know.

Next steps: Make a disaster preparedness kit and hone important survival skills. More on that coming soon.

Are you preparing for zombies?