Emergency Survival Tips - How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse

Intro on zombies
I always loved zombies, zombie movies, zombie games, zombie events, almost all zombie related things.
For each of the zombie things I like there is a simple explanation: zombies are just a representation of our fear of death and the way we embrace that fear. But wait, there's more than that.
Zombies represent way more than that.
Zombies are that kind of enemy that would force us to take action, to react but it would not be nearly impossible to kill, to overcome. A zombie outbreak is an extreme event but every time we imagine it... we survive.
Why do we watch zombie movies? Not only for the horror aspects, that's an entirely different story, but for the interest in seeing extreme solutions to extreme situations, to train our brain, to learn new tricks.
Why do we play zombie games? Well, we have to test our zombie strategies and skills somewhere.
Why thinking about a Zombie Apocalypse?
If we are prepared for a Zombie Apocalypse than we are prepared for almost any kind of extreme event.
A Zombie Apocalypse is such an improbable event so we will not cover it now, in this article.
Still, a Zombie Apocalypse can be considered the extreme event that has things in common with a lot of the other possible scenarios of extreme events.
Let's see some aspects of a Zombie Apocalypse that can be found in many disaster scenarios:

• the event comes unexpectedly
• all or most of the rules we live by no longer apply
• extreme measures need to be taken, at state level and even at personal level
• you become responsible for the well-being of the ones near you (family or close friends)
• you need to react fast and come up with a good plan
• you need to be able to adapt to new situations at every step
• ... and the list can go on

As you see, thinking on how to react on a zombie outbreak actually prepares you for many types of disasters.
What's the plan?
To plan for a world-changing disaster means to think about three aspects:

1. Disaster preparedness: how to prepare for such an event
2. Initial reaction: what to do when it happens
3. Disaster recovery: what to do after the event in order to restore the society to a normal state

Now let's see what each step means.
Step 1: Disaster preparedness
This is, probably, the most important step.
There are many ways in which you can prepare. You can start with a study on the area you live in, see what natural disasters can happen; also, you have to be connected to the news flow.
Let's make a small list on how you can prepare:

• know your surroundings, think about escape routes in every direction
• stay connected to the news flow, stay informed
• think about means of transportation in case of emergency; think about speed / distance / load capacity
• I know that for some of you it might seem funny but having a survival backpack is not such a bad idea
• think about water and food
• always know how to get in touch with your loved ones
• think about a place you would go in case of an extreme event
• try to think of a group of friends that you would want to group with
• stay informed on how to survive without all the wonders of modern technology

Step 2: Initial reaction
Initial reaction planning is all about what would you do if an extreme event would happen in the following 15 minutes.
In you're planning stage (step 1) you have to think about this too.
When it happens decide fast if you have to run or you can barricade. The decision has to be smart and fast and you must have all the means necessary to do both.
Don't expect others to take action, be prepared to take leadership and implement your plan. Even a bad plan is better than no plan.
Step 3: Disaster recovery
Disaster recovery is all about what you do after the event consumes.
Let's say you had a good plan and a very good initial reaction and you survived until now. What do you do next?
This is the most complicated step in your journey and depending on the nature of the disaster you might not even live to see the end result but it all depends on how you start it.
You have to think fast about the following aspects:

• restoring law and order: a small military force would be perfect, try to choose people with both brains and muscle
• start rebuilding the basics: food and water and medical help
• invest resources in protection
• try to reach to other groups, negotiate and create new groups that are bigger and powerful
• when things calm down start investing in research, try to restore old world factories, get power up
• always be open-minded

For more articles on zombies, both fun stuff and serious subjects have a look at GreyZombie.com