Feds Say “Prepare for a Zombie Apocalypse!”

Who says bureaucrats don’t have a sense of humor? The Wall Street Journal‘s Health Blog points to a new advisory from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, giving us citizens helpful hints on how to prepare for … wait for it … an invasion of zombies. From the site:

There are all kinds of emergencies out there that we can prepare for. Take a zombie apocalypse for example. That’s right, I said z-o-m-b-i-e a-p-o-c-a-l-y-p-s-e. You may laugh now, but when it happens you’ll be happy you read this, and hey, maybe you’ll even learn a thing or two …

The rise of zombies in pop culture has given credence to the idea that a zombie apocalypse could happen. In such a scenario zombies would take over entire countries, roaming city streets eating anything living that got in their way. The proliferation of this idea has led many people to wonder “How do I prepare for a zombie apocalypse?”
Well, we’re here to answer that question for you, and hopefully share a few tips about preparing for real emergencies too!”

As you might guess from that last line, the essay is meant rather tongue-in-cheek. Here’s Betsy McKay’s explanation from the WSJ Health Blog: “[T]he agency really is just looking for a clever way to get people to heed its advice on how to prepare for emergencies such as hurricanes — which on its own, let’s face it, is rather dry.”

It’s clever, I think. The page is a little light on serious recommendations, though, and quite a bit heavier on CDC self-promotion. But there ARE some useful tips on the CDC site that people living in an area prone to hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, or even zombie infestations might want to take into consideration.

So, what CAN you do to prepare? Designate a couple of  family meeting places — one right outside your home, and another outside your neighborhood in cases were you’re not able to stick around. But also, “have an emergency kit in your house. This includes things like water, food, and other supplies to get you through the first couple of days before you can locate a zombie-free refugee camp.” That’s good advice.