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Zombie Survival Kit and Preps

Emergency Survival Kit

Zombie Survival Guide

An emergency survival kit is a collection of supplies which have been prepared to aid in the survival of a disaster or emergency situation such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and other natural disasters. A good emergency survival kit contains tools to provide the basic survival necessities such as shelter, food, water, and first aid. It this case we want to prepare a kit specialized for a zombie encounter.

There a few types of survival kits; stashes, mini-kits and bug-out kit. A stash is a large collection of horded food and supplies usually set up for long term use under siege situations. Mini kits hold basic supplies and are designed to fit in small places such as a motor vehicle. Bug-out kits are portable survival kits also known as “Personal Emergency Relocation Kits”; these are used for quick escape and survival for a few days. Bug-out kits usually also contain tools that aid in gathering resources for more prolonged times after limited supplies run out.

Before creating an emergency zombie survival kit or kits you must ask yourself a few questions: What type of kit should I make? How many people will I be providing for? Where should I keep my kit? How much food and water do need? Where would I go under extreme conditions? ECT… Look at your surroundings. If a zombie outbreak were to happen right now are you in a safe location. This is a great deciding factor for preparing your kit. Think of any situation that could happen and consider preparation for the most probable dangers. What will you need in your kit? Every situation is different for everyone and kits can be modified for specific purposes.

Location matters, it might be smart to keep smaller emergency survival kits in your car or at work. Also you might want to keep different styles of kits depending on your location, for example: If you live in the mountains away from large populations in a fairly zombie proof home you might consider keeping a long term stash. On the other hand if you live in an inner city location in a not so zombie proof home you might want to rely more on a light bug-out kit to get you to a safer location.


Basic Tools and Supplies

Before specializing in any type of zombie survival kit for emergency situations it is important to know what items are needed for basic survival. To set up a good survival kit foundation you should know what the most fundamental items needed in almost all disaster situations are. There is a list from the homeland security website;

Recommended Items to Include in a Basic Emergency Supply Kits:

-Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation

-Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food

-Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both

-Flashlight and extra batteries

-First aid kit

-Whistle to signal for help

-Dust mask, to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place

-Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation

-Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities

-Can opener for food (if kit contains canned food)

-Local maps

Additional Items to Consider Adding to an Emergency Supply Kit:

-Prescription medications and glasses

-Infant formula and diapers

-Pet food and extra water for your pet

-Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container

-Cash or traveler’s checks and change

-Emergency reference material such as a first aid book survival manuals

-Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person. Consider additional bedding if you live in a cold-weather climate.

-Complete change of clothing including a long sleeved shirt, long pants and sturdy shoes. Consider additional clothing if you live in a cold-weather climate.

-Household chlorine bleach and medicine dropper – When diluted nine parts water to one part bleach, bleach can be used as a disinfectant. Or in an emergency, you can use it to treat water by using 16 drops of regular household liquid bleach per gallon of water. Do not use scented, color safe or bleaches with added cleaners.

-Fire Extinguisher

-Matches in a waterproof container

-Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items

-Mess kits, paper cups, plates and plastic utensils, paper towels-Paper and pencil

-Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children

These items are great for a basic kit. Creating an emergency survival with these supplies would be great for smaller S 1 or maybe even S 2 zombie emergencies. These are usually caused by a low grade zombie and everything is usually controlled and back to normal after a few days. Just board up your windows and doors and wait it out.

In larger zombie outbreaks or outbreaks caused by higher grade zombies, the situation gets dramatically worse. It is unlikely that a small survival kit is enough to handle a large zombie up rising. A larger stash would allow you to last quite a bit longer check out the under siege section for more details. Most likely unless you have a self sustaining fortress you will need to Transport to a safer location.


Zombie Survival Kit

Unlike most disasters the biggest difference is that in almost any zombie emergency situation some degree of combat is involved. In order to have the advantage in zombie combat, it is important to have some kind of weapon in your emergency zombie survival kit. As stated before every situation is different and additions to the basic kit should follow the specific situation.

Bug out kits should be kept light considering that some of the time on foot might involve running away from hordes of zombies. If additional clothes are in the kit they should be tight fitting and hair should be short or tied down to prevent being snagged by undead fingernails.

Do research on different types of items and see what is best for your particular situation. Try to get items that are useful in more that one situation. For example an axe is great for chopping wood but it is also good at chopping zombie flesh. A crowbar is a good weapon but can also be used to pull out nails or “jimmy” doors, or even aid in climbing.

Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse From the CDC

A Brief History of Zombies
We’ve all seen at least one movie about flesh-eating zombies taking over (my personal favorite is Resident EvilExternal Web Site Icon.), but where do zombies come from and why do they love eating brains so much? The word zombie comes from Haitian and New Orleans voodoo origins. Although its meaning has changed slightly over the years, it refers to a human corpse mysteriously reanimated to serve the undead. Through ancient voodoo and folk-lore traditions, shows like the Walking Dead were born.

A couple dressed as zombies - Danny Zucco and Sandy Olsson from the movie Grease walking in the annual Toronto Zombie Walk.A couple dressed as zombies – Danny Zucco and Sandy Olsson from the movie Grease walking in the annual Toronto Zombie Walk.

In movies, shows, and literature, zombies are often depicted as being created by an infectious virus, which is passed on via bites and contact with bodily fluids. Harvard psychiatrist Steven Schlozman wrote a (fictional) medical paper on the zombies presented in Night of the Living DeadExternal Web Site Icon. and refers to the condition as Ataxic Neurodegenerative Satiety Deficiency Syndrome caused by an infectious agent. The Zombie Survival GuideExternal Web Site Icon. identifies the cause of zombies as a virus called solanum. Other zombie origins shown in films include radiation from a destroyed NASAExternal Web Site Icon. VenusExternal Web Site Icon. probe (as in Night of the Living DeadExternal Web Site Icon.), as well as mutations of existing conditions such as prionsExternal Web Site Icon.mad-cow diseaseExternal Web Site Icon.,measlesExternal Web Site Icon. and rabiesExternal Web Site Icon..

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!

Disaster or Blackout Emergency SuppliesSome of the supplies for your emergency kit

Better Safe than Sorry

So what do you need to do before zombies…or hurricanes or pandemics for example, actually happen? First of all, you should 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 (or in the event of a natural disaster, it will buy you some time until you are able to make your way to an evacuation shelter or utility lines are restored). Below are a few items you should include in your kit, for a full list visit the CDC Emergency page.

  • Water (1 gallon per person per day)
  • Food (stock up on non-perishable items that you eat regularly)
  • Medications (this includes prescription and non-prescription meds)
  • Tools and Supplies (utility knife, duct tape, battery powered radio, etc.)
  • Sanitation and Hygiene (household bleach, soap, towels, etc.)
  • Clothing and Bedding (a change of clothes for each family member and blankets)
  • Important documents (copies of your driver’s license, passport, and birth certificate to name a few)
  • First Aid supplies (although you’re a goner if a zombie bites you, you can use these supplies to treat basic cuts and lacerations that you might get during a tornado orhurricane)

Once you’ve made your emergency kit, you should sit down with your family and come up with an emergency plan. This includes where you would go and who you would call if zombies started appearing outside your door step. You can also implement this plan if there is a flood, earthquake, or other emergency.

Picture of Family by mailboxFamily members meeting by their mailbox. You should pick two meeting places, one close to your home and farther away

  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.

Never Fear – CDC is Ready

Get a Kit, Make a Plan, Be PreparedGet a Kit, Make a Plan, Be Prepared

If zombies did start roaming the streets, CDC would conduct an investigation much like any other disease outbreak. CDC would provide technical assistance to cities, states, or international partners dealing with a zombie infestation. This assistance might include consultation, lab testing and analysis, patient management and care, tracking of contacts, and infection control (includingisolation and quarantine). It’s likely that an investigation of this scenario would seek to accomplish several goals: determine the cause of the illness, the source of the infection/virus/toxin, learn how it is transmitted and how readily it is spread, how to break the cycle of transmission and thus prevent further cases, and how patients can best be treated. Not only would scientists be working to identify the cause and cure of the zombie outbreak, but CDC and other federal agencies would send medical teams and first responders to help those in affected areas (I will be volunteering the young nameless disease detectives for the field work).

To learn more about what CDC does to prepare for and respond to emergencies of all kinds, visit: http://emergency.cdc.gov/cdc/orgs_progs.asp

To learn more about how you can prepare for and stay safe during an emergency visit:http://emergency.cdc.gov/

badge with creepy face peering over top, text: "become a member of the Zombie Task Force! Order t-shirts through the CDC Foundation by clicking here."External Web Site Icon.Join the CDC Zombie Task Force! The CDC FoundationExternal Web Site Icon., a non-profit partner of CDC is offering Zombie Task Force t-shirts (click on the picture to find out more).  Proceeds go to benefit disaster relief efforts and other important health programs. Get yours before they’re gone…

Are you prepared? Tell us…
are you prepared? video contest badgeHave you begun preparing for a zombie apocalypse? Or maybe you have been preparing for a more realistic threat like hurricanes or the next flu season? Tell us about what you are doing to prepare! Enter our video contest here:http://prepare.challenge.govExternal Web Site Icon.