In what will come as a surprise to many people, it turns out the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) actually has an entire page on its official website full of advice on how to survive a zombie apocalypse.
Now, if you're anything like me, you've probably theorized exactly what you'd do in the event of a zombie uprising. I won't go into details about my own plans, but let's just say it involves a collection of machetes, 400 tins of SPAM, and the Isle of Wight.
However, according to the CDC, there's a lot more supplies I should have stored in my bunker.
Yes, ever since the launch of ABC's insanely popular dystopia epic The Walking Dead, people have hypothesized on the best way to survive an attack from an undead army.
(And, let's be honest, I'm sure we've all thought about it once or twice the past 12 months thanks to a certain pandemic.)
We recommend reading the rest of this article while listening to this:In fact, fears for a 2021 zombie apocalypse have come to light after it was reported that the 15th-century prophet Nostradamus believed this year would be the year. (Don't worry, he's almost never right.)
Thankfully the CDC is here to help, on their official 'Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse' page. No seriously, it is an actual page on the CDC website.
Penned by Ali S. Khan back in 2011, the CDC recommends adding the following supplies to your shopping list:
- 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 or hurricane)
Once you've got your supplies, you're going to need to come up with an emergency plan with your loved ones. This includes picking two meeting places, "one close to your home and one farther away".
Additionally, the CDC recommends identify your emergency contacts (eg. 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," the page states.
And then plan your evacuation route. Khan writes: "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."
Now, before you start fretting that a real-life Walking Dead is actually going to happen, the CDC later revealed that the page is actually to "engage a wide variety of audiences on all hazards preparedness" - such as hurricanes, floods, etc.
However, just in case you were fretting about the possibility of becoming the next Rick Grimes, the CDC did provide a message of hope, just in case the world was ever on the brink of a zombie apocalypse.
It writes: "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."
"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."