Long time readers of this dog and pony show will know I harbour a deep fascination with zombie lore and the oft-discussed zombie apocalypse. With such subjects being part of pop culture, I’ve often thought about the survival aspects of these scenarios.
I’ve come to the conclusion that preparing for a zombie apocalypse is very much the same as preparing for any emergency, including those ones that are firmly grounded in reality. Consider for example what I believe you’d need to help survive world ending zombie outbreak. You’d need food, water, clothing, fortified shelter, portable power, first aid kits, portable radios, and last but not least, weapons. When looking at those items, how far-fetched is it really to have any of those things on hand right now? I would even argue having a few weapons around on an emergency basis isn’t even that bad.
So, while a lot of people think and talk about what would be required to survive a fictional disaster, how many of us really put everything into action? I admit, I haven’t. Zombies or not, I feel like I’m poorly prepared for any disaster situation. I barely have enough bottled water to last two maybe three days. I certainly don’t have enough food stocked up beyond perhaps two days.
I believe it takes some “fictional sugar” to make people think about emergency preparedness in a serious manner, then that’s ok. To that end, there’s even an organization called “Zombie Hunters” that deals with zombies in a tongue-in-cheek manner but takes emergency preparedness in a more serious tone. It’s a great way to get people to be more prepared about disasters in the real world.
In the next few weeks, I pledge to become more prepared for all situations. It may start off with just buying more bottled water and dried foods but that’s a good start.
Don’t forget the toilet tank, there’s several litres of clean water there that hasn’t been to the bowl yet.