If zombies were to start roaming the streets – yes, we said zombies – the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wants you t
o be prepared.
In the midst of providing guidelines on an unprecedented pandemic, the CDC updated its tips to prepare for another extreme occurrence: A zombie apocalypse.
While the CDC says it began as a "tongue-in-cheek campaign," it actually is a practical guide for any emergency, like hurricanes, earthquakes or floods.
"You may laugh now, but when it happens, you'll be happy you read this," the CDC wrote on its website. "And hey, maybe you'll even learn a thing or two about how to prepare for a real emergency."
So, what would happen if zombies were to start roaming the streets?
The CDC says it would conduct an investigation, as it would for any disease outbreak, and provide assistance to states. Until it could determine the cause of the outbreak and how it could be treated and stopped, the CDC listed guidelines to follow to be "safer than sorry."
The first step is to prepare for zombies – or any disaster: Create an emergency kit with essentials to last a few days.
The kit should include a gallon of water per day for each person; nonperishable food items; medications; tools and supplies; sanitation and hygiene products; clothing and bedding; important documents and first aid supplies, the CDC says.
Next, you should create an emergency plan for when a zombie, or a hurricane, is outside your door.
This includes identifying the types of emergencies possible in your area – such as a tornado or an earthquake – to prepare for that situation and make a list of your emergency contacts. You should also pick a place to evacuate to and make an evacuation plan, which includes a designated meeting place for you and those you live with to regroup.
This blog is especially relevant given the pandemic and last month's extreme winter weather in Texas that caused 4 million people to go without power for days. Texans – and the state's power grid – were unprepared for freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall, leaving many stranded and helpless without power and water.
The CDC blog, which was originally posted in 2011, received 1,450 comments, most of which praised the agency for its creative approach to disaster preparedness.
"It presents a disaster in a manner that I can actually entice my family into discussion; and it will provide some assistance for any potential disaster as well," wrote commenter Shellabella.
"While I have yet to meet a zombie, I have been through a couple of power outages," another comment read.
Disaster experts seem to agree about the effectiveness of this campaign.
"I think it's great," John Sellick, a professor in the Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo, told Yahoo Life. "As we've seen with coronavirus, disaster preparedness is crucial."
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