If zombies start roaming the streets – yes, we said zombies – the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention want you to be prepared.
In the midst of providing guidance on an unprecedented pandemic, the Center for Disease Control has updated its tips to prepare for another extreme occurrence: a zombie apocalypse.
Although the CDC says it started as an “ironic campaign”, it is actually a practical guide to any emergency, such as hurricanes, earthquakes or floods.
“You can laugh now, but when it does, you’ll be happy to read it,” wrote the CDC on its website. “And hey, you might even learn a thing or two about how to prepare for a real emergency.”
So, what would happen if the zombies started roaming the streets?
The CDC says it would conduct an investigation, as it would for any disease outbreak, and provide assistance to states. Until it could determine the cause of the outbreak and how it could be treated and stopped, the CDC listed guidelines to be followed to “prevent than cure”.
The first step is to prepare for zombies – or any disaster: Create an emergency kit with the essentials to last a few days.
The kit should include one gallon of water per day for each person; non-perishable food; medicines; tools and supplies; sanitation and hygiene products; clothes and bedding; important documents and first aid supplies, says the CDC.
Next, you must create an emergency plan when a zombie, or hurricane, is at your door.
This includes identifying the types of possible emergencies in your area – such as a tornado or an earthquake – to prepare for that situation and making a list of your emergency contacts. You should also choose a place to evacuate and make an evacuation plan, which includes a designated meeting place for you and those with whom you live to regroup.
This blog is especially relevant due to last month’s pandemic and extreme winter weather in Texas, which left 4 million people without power for days. Texans – and their power grid – were not prepared for freezing temperatures and heavy snowfalls, leaving many trapped and helpless without power and water.
Related: Weeks after Mississippi’s winter storms, some residents still don’t have water
The CDC blog, which was originally posted in 2011, received 1,450 comments, most of which praised the agency for its creative approach to disaster preparedness.
“It presents a disaster in a way that I can really draw my family into an argument; and it will also provide some assistance for any potential disaster, ”wrote commentator Shelabella.
“Although I have not yet met a zombie, I have already experienced some power outages,” said another comment.
Disaster experts seem to agree on the effectiveness of this campaign.
“I think it’s great,” John Sellick, a professor at the University of Buffalo’s Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, told Yahoo Life. “As we saw with the coronavirus, disaster preparedness is crucial.”
This article was originally published in USA TODAY: Zombie apocalypse: CDC offers useful advice for any emergency