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Zombie Apocalypse: A Survivor’s Guide

Everything you need to know and how to save yourself. 

You can laugh if you want to but it’s better to be ready just in case…

There are lots of unexpected emergencies in our lives that we should be prepared for and a form of a Zombie Apocalypse is becoming a real possibility.

In the event of a “zombie apocalypse” (war or natural disaster), you need to know how to escape and survive with your loved ones.

Laugh it up, dear readers, and thank me after the apocalypse has come and gone – assuming you’ll still be alive by then, of course. How many people would survive?

Hang with me for a minute here. There is an important message here. 

This isn’t exactly the Rise of the Zombies – it’s the real world. How can zombies exist? Follow the links to get scientific facts.

Now, how exactly does someone prepare himself for a real zombie apocalypse?

Scientists refer to any natural or manmade disaster that threatens the masses, as a “Zombie Apocalypse” because the survival techniques are essentially the same.

Make the decision to start preparation.  It’s better to be safe than sorry.

 

What Do You Need?

What gadgets and supplies do you need to gather if a zombie apocalypse actually happens?

First things first, always have an emergency kit in your house. The emergency kit should consist of items like food, water, and other supplies that should at least get you through the first couple of days before you can find yourself a good shelter or refugee camp where you will be safe from zombies.

It will save you valuable time before you reach an evacuation shelter.

 

items that should be included in your emergency kit:

1. Water – the most important part of human survival. A person can stay, at most, 2 days without drinking water before he/she becomes severely dehydrated, so you should carry at least one gallon of water per person for one day to ensure safety and avoid dehydration in treacherous conditions.

2. Food – the most important item next to the water. You should stock up on mostly dry foods which are non-perishable and canned foods as well as the foods that you normally like to eat.

3. Medicine Kit – this is also very helpful when you are in danger of being attacked. This should include both prescription and non-prescription medical supplies for the whole family.

4. Supplies and tools – these might include duct tape, utility knife, a radio that runs on batteries, small screwdrivers, hammers, wrench, axe, large knife, shovel, pry bar, etc. You never know what might come in handy for you.

5. Sanitation and hygiene materials – these include soaps, detergents, bleaching powder, towels, napkins, toilet paper, clean clothes, etc.

6. First Aid box – in worst-case scenarios where you are bitten or hurt by a zombie, you can heal yourself by treating basic cuts and lacerations. Include things like disinfectant, bandages, needle & thread, pain killers, and clean towels or cloths. These are minimum suggestions.

7. Bedding materials – For sleeping and resting, you should carry clothes and sleeping bags or blankets for each family member.

8. Documents – Information like passport, driver’s license, and birth certificate should be carried along as well.

 

Emergency Response Plan

Once you are packed with all your emergency kit, the next step is to gather all your family members and come up with an emergency plan or a backup plan. Don’t fret. This is along the same lines as planning for a natural disaster, like an incoming tornado, only less natural.

1.  Take Count of Emergencies. List down the possible emergency that can happen in your area other than a zombie apocalypse. Other disasters can consist of tornadoes, floods, or earthquakes, power outages, water shut-off, and traffic jams.
2.  Find a Suitable Meeting Point. This is a very important point. Find a good meeting place for your family to regroup when zombies attack your house. Pick one place close to your house for sudden emergencies and another place outside your area if you cannot return home right away.
3. Make Lists. Make a list of all the emergency contacts available such as local police station, fire department, and if possible, your local zombie response team! You can also arrange contact numbers of out of state during emergencies to let your loved ones know that you are okay.
4. Plan an Exit Route. Zombies are tireless creatures and will chase you down until they get food, so you should evacuate the area as soon as possible. You should plan to navigate the shortest and safest routes. This is also helpful during natural disasters when finding a safer shelter becomes a priority.

 

An Introduction To The Threat

If dead people would ever come out of their graves like in the movies it would be catastrophic for us. Who would believe their own eyes?

Like in the zombie movies we see, they would feast on us and literally destroy the world as we know it.

There is a real possibility that a virus that produces similar symptoms could already exist or is being created now.

First of all, let’s have a look at the characteristics of a zombie:

1. They are dead people, raising from the graves, whose brains are not destroyed, or not. They could be real people infected with a drug or virus that makes them extremely violent and crazy.
2. They are slow-moving creatures.
3. We can only kill zombies by attacking their brain with a strong blow to the head.
4. They can tear human flesh easily.
5. They can kill you instantly.
6. They have a good sense of hearing, sight, and sense of smell. They respond to any non-zombie sounds like gunshots.
7. They roam around places that played a significant part in their life when they were alive.

 

Here are the 6 deadliest threats of a zombie breakout:

1. The Zombie itself – That’s the obvious one. From the above characteristics of a zombie, we can tell fairly well that it is stronger than a human, so the zombie itself is a big threat with their unique ability to bite human flesh and cause death. They can hear your slow and quiet movements and catch you. They are stronger than you.

2. Being in a state of panic and chaos – This is also quite normal and expected from humans. If dead people suddenly start to rise up from the graves, living humans would obviously be scared to death. Panic and chaos during zombie attacks might stop the whole system of the society, especially in the Western regions.

3. Very tough to kill – If we assume that a zombie apocalypse has taken place in the real world like in the movies, how would you save yourself and kill zombies? Here are some great ideas on how to kill zombies. Zombie’s don’t walk in a straight line – As we explained earlier, the only way to kill a zombie is by getting a proper headshot. If they stumble all the time, the precision to get a good headshot needs to be more accurate.

4. Zombies have a self-spreading fatal virus. If a zombie bites you, you will surely die. Once you die, you will rise up again and become an addition to the zombie population and therefore you add to the problem for everyone else. Not exactly but sometimes it sure appears that they have died and come back to life.

5. Being With People – The best policy to keep you from interacting with a zombie is by being alone. You never know; the person with you might have received a bite or scratch from a zombie, which could make that person turn into a zombie and come to eat you.

6. Not Being Prepared – Believe it or not, you are a threat to yourself during a zombie outbreak. In times of survival a situation, the person that survives is not the most prepared, fittest, and strongest. He is the person that can keep his head straight. Your own ability to keep calm in extreme situation is going to be the difference between life and death. So even with the best survival plans that you create to defend against zombies, these factors might still trap you.

 

NOT BUYING INTO IT YET? I DIDN’T THINK SO.  KEEP READING!

 

“Zombie” Virus and Its Effects

 

From zombie movies like I am Legend and 28 Days Later, we have seen incidents about a virus that spreads like a plague and reduces rational human beings into mindless cannibalistic monsters.

Although these scenes can only be found in movies and zombies don’t exist, scientists have recently discovered certain viruses, which can induce zombie-like behaviours. It has been revealed in the National Geographic documentary, “The Truth Behind Zombies” where several scientists claim the existence of viruses and bacterias that induce zombie-like symptoms.

A disease close to that is rabies, which is a viral disease that causes people to go insane by infecting the central nervous system, as stated by Samita Andreansky, a virologist at the University of Miami in Florida.

Now if we try to imagine a rabies virus that can spread fast through the air, we might see the start of a zombie apocalypse. Rabies is known as a Rage Disease.

Can Rabies Viruses Mutate?

Unlike zombies in movies where the result of a bite infection is immediate, the effects of rabies are slower yet deadlier. The first symptoms that a human has rabies can be confusion, hallucinations, anxiety and paralysis – and these effects might take about ten days to even a year to occur.

It is advisable to treat it within a week or the symptoms will get ugly.

Rabies virus incubation time could be reduced significantly if the genetic code of rabies goes through enough changes.  There are various ways to get viral mutations, like mistakes when they are replicating genes or by getting damaged from ultraviolet light.

So according to Andreansky, a rabies virus with a high mutation rate has the ability to cause a zombie-like infection within a few hours.

Flu and Rabies Virus Combined Can Create Rage Virus

But before we can expect something dramatic like in the movies, rabies virus needs to be more contagious.

Humans usually catch rabies after being bitten by animals with rabies infection – for example, a dog. But the infection normally stops there.

Due to the introduction of pet vaccinations, rabies rarely infects people nowadays. Fewer people die because of rabies. In 2008, only two people were reportedly infected with rabies in the United States.

A faster and more lethal mode of transferring virus would be through the air, which is how the influenza virus spreads. In order for rabies to be transmitted through air, they would have to borrow traits from the influenza virus.

By a process called reassortment or recombination, there is a way to swap pieces of genetic code from different forms of the same virus. But this is not a natural process, said Elankumaran Subbiah, a virologist at Virginia Tech.

It is not yet scientifically proven that traits are exchanged between two radically different viruses like influenza and rabies. They are unable to share genetic information, as they are far different from each other, said Subbiah. Viruses cannot mix and match from different families and can only assemble parts that they have.

It’s theoretically possible—though extremely difficult—to create a hybrid rabies-influenza virus using modern genetic engineering techniques, the University of Miami’s Andreansky said.

Can an Engineered Zombie Virus be Created?

According to Andreansky, if it was possible to mix the rabies virus transmitted through the air with measles virus to create personality changes, the encephalitis virus to increase body temperature, and the Ebola virus to bleed from your guts, then we might see the possibility of a virus that causes the deadly characteristics as of a zombie.

 

Basic Zombie Survival Skills

 

It is no secret that zombies would be a catastrophe if they existed. An outbreak of the walking dead may only be just in the movies but there are some real facts that resemble a zombie virus and the chaos that would follow.

Whether during the initial pandemonium, the drawn-out fight to survive while awaiting rescue, or the infinite struggle to persevere in the post-apocalyptic world to stay alive.

 

Here is a 6-way strength training to survive a zombie (viral) outbreak:

There is a sudden outbreak of zombies (people with a virus or madness caused by a natural disaster) in your city. Like in the movies, the government is useless. It’s every man for himself. It’s up to you to survive. What should you do in such circumstances? Stay strong, soldier. Don’t let the pandemonium get the better of you. The following listed below are six important survivals tactics you can follow during a zombie outbreak:

1. Heavyweight lifting

If you have a habit of lifting, and you are good at it, then it will come in handy during a zombie outbreak where you have to carry your important gadgets and supplies while on the run. It is useful to carry as many loads as possible so you can bring more armours, weapons, foods, and essential items to keep you safe.

2. Climbing

Zombies often face difficulties climbing and crawling in fences, so if you have good legs for climbing over fences and ropes, it’ll be difficult for zombies to reach you. You can save your life in situations where you are on the run by zombies and you have no hiding place. It is also useful to climb to higher locations to get a sniping position.

3. Fast Getaway

This is also a very important factor during a breakout. Zombies will surround you so you will need fast legs to get your way out of a mess. The stronger your legs are, the better off you will be. You have the upper hand in speed, if not stronger because zombies are slow walkers. A good four to five minutes of acceleration is all you need to get away from them and plan your next course of action.

4. Carrying weapons

 While it is most recommended to carry heavy weapons like swords and guns with plenty of ammo during a battle with zombies, few people might know how to use it as they are high tech weapons and first-timers may injure themselves in the process. Use weapons you’re comfortable with. Improvise. Almost anything can be a weapon: hammers, bats, and crowbars can be lethal if in the right hands because a good hard blow to the head is all it takes to defeat the mindless undead.

5. Good Hand-to-Hand Skills

 While it would be a nightmare scenario to fight with a zombie barehanded, it is recommended to get better fighting skills for such occasions where your own fists can save your life. A simple strength in the arms and fists can – and will – decide whether you live or die.

6. Finding a Good Hideout

 It is more recommended to use your brain than just using your physical strength; a cool head wins the battle in this one. So lay out your plans and proceed accordingly. You can outsmart the zombies by moving through dark alleys and finding good hiding spots where the zombies will not suspect you.

7. Inner Strength

Like we mentioned above, instead of physical strength you should try to make most of your inner strength, and use your brain. Having a level head is crucial. You can make your strength-training program in such a way that is more superficial and builds your character along with muscle, only then you have a fighting chance against zombies in a breakout.

So these are the survival tactics you can follow to prepare yourself for the breakout of zombies (aka Biological Warfare) if there is any in the future.

A new series on Netflix called Doomsday Preppers is a great place for information.

 

How to Defend Yourself Against Zombies

To defend yourself against zombies, like any other predator, you have to arm yourself with lots of training, skills, and mindset with all the available weapons for your survival. For every defensive technique, you need a set of ideal tools to kill zombies. Some might be old and famous tactics, while others can be new and might be your favourite.

1. Long Range weapons: Long range is the most efficient and adventurous way to destroy a zombie horde. In the long-range department, an AR- 15/M4 carbine is the most appropriate and best firing weapon for the job. The advantage of using this weapon is it is very easy to fire and it has a high accuracy rate – good for amateur shooters. There are some drawbacks to this, though. It creates a heavy noise while firing and its ammunition is costly unless you are blessed with heavy reloading supplies or an unlimited ammunition cache. The advantages will outweigh the disadvantages and it will provide you with a finite form of protection.

2. Melee/Medium Range: According to Roger Ma’s book of the Zombie Combat Manual, melee weapons are described as weapons which as usually between two and three feet long and used to fight against zombies at a distance of about five to six feet between opponents. Melee range is dangerous due to close proximity. In order to use it to your advantage, you have to be quick and deadly accurate in order to minimize the risk of ending up as zombie food.

So the weapons that are recommended for this range are the tomahawk, the kukri and the baseball bat.

3. Kukri 

If you have not heard of a kukri, it is an Indian or Nepalese knife, used by the famous Gurkha fighting force. It is a pretty useful weapon, approximately 18 inches in length and its unique forward blade can produce an extremely effective swing that can result in killer hits.

 

4. Tomahawk

The Tomahawk or axe is one of the oldest and most famous weapons made by men. Updated versions have included wooden handles and steel heads for better handling and lethal blows. Designs are largely utilitarian.

The tomahawk is a cinch to use and you can swing it with ease and manipulate it without any trouble but it needs closer proximity to the adversary.

The Axes have longer handles than the tomahawk but if you get too excited and over commit yourself you might get yourself hurt or lose control of your weapon, ending up defenceless and killed in the process.

5. Baseball Bat

The baseball bat is a handy weapon as well. They are widely available and it is extremely easy to swing to knock off opponents. Made of strong materials, there is a low chance of breaking it when hardly connected with zombies. It has the ability to cause major brain damage to anyone or anything.

Aluminum or metal bats are preferred over wood as aluminum or metal bats do not risk the chance of breaking and bending like wooden bats have the potential to do.

Either way, it’s the zombie apocalypse and you don’t want to be choosy – you take what you get.

6. Long Handled Hammers

Hammers can be used for many things including a weapon. Choose a heavy-weight, long-handled carpenter’s hammer like this one.

 

Where To Take Shelter During an Apocalypse?

Let’s think of a worst-case scenario.

Suppose this is the fourth week of the zombie apocalypse (viral outbreak) in your city. You’ve been following the rules for three weeks and have stayed inside house barricading every possible entrance. Trapped in your apartment, the only sounds you hear are gunshots and the hiss of blazing fire.

The zombies (infected people) are coming nearer. You can feel it in your bones. You are almost out of food and water, and you are feeling sick and need medical attention as well. What do you do? Where do you go in this situation?

 

Let’s start with a list of places where you should NOT go:

Grocery Markets: If it is the first or second day of the zombie outbreak, you might have found some food or medical tools, but since it’s the third week, most grocery stores would’ve been robbed by now. You may not find any food or even water in there. It has been picked clean.

Hospitals: This is also a place which is not good for you in these conditions. For any medical center, it would be filled with infected people who are dead or injured during the zombie apocalypse. Patients who are brought to be treated often turn into zombies themselves. These building might contain zombies and looters and there is no possibility of finding any help in these hospitals.

Prison: At first thought, you might think to yourself that being inside a high-security prison is not such a bad idea. In fact, it sounds marvellously safe. But in the third week, it might seem like a living hell. With the security system broken it might become a death zone for anyone who gets lost inside.

Malls: If anyone has seen Dawn of the Dead, you already know why you should not go there.

 

Now let’s see some places where you SHOULD go:

Military bases and headquarters: Military bases are always equipped with heavy protection against any attack and have plenty of medical facilities, a large stock of food and water, and weapons. Sweet! So if you want to survive in a zombie apocalypse, this is the place you should look for first.

Search for your nearest military installment. If you go to the area and find no survivors, you can still pick up valuable supplies from there.

Pick up as many weapons as you can carry. Food and water can also be found there. To get off the base, you can use abandoned cars and off-road vehicles which will come in handy in a zombie apocalypse.

Fortified shelters could also be found in those military installation areas. These are a great source for a hideout and contains a massive amount of supplies, food, and weapons which can keep you alive for months.

Always get detailed map locations to your nearest military camps.

If none of these is an option for you, the last thing you can do is go to a police station or courthouse as an alternate and last destination. There, you are more likely to find survivors and you can find weapons and supplies in abundance.

The More Likely Scenario

The world is in such turmoil these days that there is a very real possibility of war. Civil war or world war is looming in the not too far future.

Maybe the use of biological viruses that could infect everyone has been created and will be used.

Nothing clears out a civilization like Bubonic Plague. Mixing different virus cells to create a mutation or drugs that cause people to act crazy and zombie-like. 

Mind control is also a popular way of getting people to act in ways that they wouldn’t normally act and is used throughout the world more than you can guess. Cults are famous for their brainwashing antics. Then toss in a little “mob mentality” and we have a zombie apocalypse.

What is happening in France may soon be on our own doorsteps.

We need to be prepared for the onset of war, natural disaster or other apocalyptic episodes …with or without Zombies.

The key to survival is being ready to defend yourself and your family. Get ready!

 

 

 

I’d love to read any comments that you may have.