CDC's Zombie Invasion Preparedness Plan

On Thursday, NPR played a story (link here) about how the CDC's disaster preparedness website had recommendations on it about what to do in case of a Zombie Invasion (link here). It's a great way to get through to the attention-span-of-a-gnat masses - you know, those people who are fans of Survivor, Americans at Idle, Jersey Shore (or anything MTV has on in the last 15 years), Cougar Town, Deadliest Catch, QVC, WWF, Fox, NASCAR, or any Dancing, Talent, or Reality Show.

Excerpts from the CDC site's recommendations are here:

1. Identify the types of emergencies that are possible in your area. Besides a zombie apocalypse, this may include floods, tornadoes, or earthquakes. If you are unsure contact your local Red Cross chapter for more information.
2. Pick a meeting place for your family to regroup in case zombies invade your home…or your town evacuates because of a hurricane. Pick one place right outside your home for sudden emergencies and one place outside of your neighborhood in case you are unable to return home right away.
3. Identify your emergency contacts. Make a list of local contacts like the police, fire department, and your local zombie response team. Also identify an out-of-state contact that you can call during an emergency to let the rest of your family know you are ok.
4. Plan your evacuation route. When zombies are hungry they won’t stop until they get food (i.e., brains), which means you need to get out of town fast! Plan where you would go and multiple routes you would take ahead of time so that the flesh eaters don’t have a chance! This is also helpful when natural disasters strike and you have to take shelter fast.

Beautifully written!  Hilarious that the site was so popular, that the CDC's website CRASHED and burned the first day the zombie plan was posted.  The list of items to have for disaster preparedness, I am pleased to say we have most of them in a large rubber-maid container stored in a closet.

Assemble the following items to create kits for use at home, the office, at school and/or in a vehicle: (We've got the BOLD items already prepared.... man, I feel like a Mormon sometimes)

• Water—one gallon per person, per day (3­day supply for evacuation, 2­week supply for home)
• Food—non­perishable, easy­to­prepare items (3­day supply for evacuation, 2­week supply for home)
• Flashlight
• Battery­powered or hand­crank radio (NOAA Weather Radio, if possible)
• Extra batteries
• First aid kit
• Medications (7­day supply) and medical items
• Multi­purpose tool
• Sanitation and personal hygiene items
• Copies of personal documents (medication list and pertinent medical information, proof of address, deed/lease to home, passports, birth certificates, insurance policies)
• Cell phone with chargers
• Family and emergency contact information
• Extra cash
• Emergency blanket
• Map(s) of the area

Consider the needs of all family members and add supplies to your kit. Suggested items to help meet additional needs are:

• Medical supplies (hearing aids with extra batteries, glasses, contact lenses, syringes, cane)
• Baby supplies (bottles, formula, baby food, diapers)
• Games and activities for children
• Pet supplies (collar, leash, ID, food, carrier, bowl, litter boxes, litter)
• Two­way radios
• Extra set of car keys and house keys
• Manual can opener

Additional supplies to keep at home or in your kit based on the types of disasters common to your area:

• Whistle
• N95 or surgical masks
• Matches
• Rain gear
• Towels
• Work gloves
• Tools/supplies for securing your home
• Extra clothing, hat and sturdy shoes
• Plastic sheeting
• Duct tape
• Scissors
• Household liquid bleach
• Entertainment items
• Blankets or sleeping bags
• AMMO (lots of ammo)

It's never a bad thing to be prepared.  Here in western Phoenix, we are Above the 100 year flood plain, 50 feet above the Aqua Fria (which typically is a dry river bed), on a relatively stable seismic zone, where tornadoes are incredibly rare.  We DO get alot of lightening and wind, but that is no reason for evacuation.  Worst thing that could happen, other than a zombie invasion, would be a nuclear melt down from the Palo Verdae 4GW reactor 40 miles SW of town.  Hopefully, none of those will come into being.