Zombie Apocalypse? Don’t Worry, The Government Is Prepared
First thing is first though folks. Whether or not you are worried about a zombie apocalypse (or are a fan of zombie comics, books, films and games) you would have to have been living under a rock or have had your brains eaten by a zombie not to know about the huge pop culture that surrounds them.
Let’s face it. The idea has had plenty of time to grow and gather momentum and cultural force. Since the creatures origins in Haitian voodoo and its film debut in 1932’s White Zombie to more recent and staggeringly popular films such as 28 days later, Land of The Dead and Shaun of the Dead, the idea of these ‘fugitives from the undertaker’ (who will take over the planet and the brains of the living without so much as a please or thank you) has gripped more than just the imaginations of people all across the world.
Despite the fact that Zombies are NOT real (sorry to all ‘Zombie believers’) there appears to be plenty of people with too much time on their hands or too vivid an imagination who are, as you read this, preparing for a Zombie apocalypse. If you don’t think people like this actually exist then just take a peek at an episode of Doomsday Preppers. This reality TV show became the most popular series of all time on the National Geographic Channel , featuring families who are in preparation for an apocalypse potentially caused by a Zombie attack. For these people, stocking up on fuel ,food, police equipment and ammunition to help survive such an attack is of paramount importance. An apocalypse is nigh.
Luckily, they needn’t worry too much as Governments around the world appear to have the situation (should one arise) under control. Under the Freedom of Information act, the public are able to request information from the British government and in 2012 it appears that one such request was made regarding their contingency plans for a Zombie attack.
Bless them, the MoD actually replied stating "In the event of an apocalyptic incident (eg zombies), any plans to rebuild and return England to its pre-attack glory would be led by the Cabinet Office, and thus any pre-planning activity would also taken place there…The Ministry of Defence's role in any such event would be to provide military support to the civil authorities, not take the lead. Consequently, the Ministry of Defence holds no information on this matter."
Bristol city council, on the other hand, went one step further when asked what they would do if Zombies went on a West Country rampage. Peter Holt, service director of communication and marketing actually responded to the question by providing a ‘top secret’ strategy document which set out how the council would handle such a crisis. Under the heading ‘Health and Safety’ specific guidelines were given on how to kill a Zombie: 'Fully disconnect the brain-stem from the body through either blunt force or full head removal.' The document also stated that code words would be used to warn officials on the radio and television that a Zombie attack was underway. This was obviously a tactic to avoid widespread panic.
Luckily, they needn’t worry too much as Governments around the world appear to have the situation (should one arise) under control. Under the Freedom of Information act, the public are able to request information from the British government and in 2012 it appears that one such request was made regarding their contingency plans for a Zombie attack.
Bless them, the MoD actually replied stating "In the event of an apocalyptic incident (eg zombies), any plans to rebuild and return England to its pre-attack glory would be led by the Cabinet Office, and thus any pre-planning activity would also taken place there…The Ministry of Defence's role in any such event would be to provide military support to the civil authorities, not take the lead. Consequently, the Ministry of Defence holds no information on this matter."
Bristol city council, on the other hand, went one step further when asked what they would do if Zombies went on a West Country rampage. Peter Holt, service director of communication and marketing actually responded to the question by providing a ‘top secret’ strategy document which set out how the council would handle such a crisis. Under the heading ‘Health and Safety’ specific guidelines were given on how to kill a Zombie: 'Fully disconnect the brain-stem from the body through either blunt force or full head removal.' The document also stated that code words would be used to warn officials on the radio and television that a Zombie attack was underway. This was obviously a tactic to avoid widespread panic.
Now you may be thinking by this point, have senior officials really lost their marbles making official statements on Zombie attacks? The answer is no. In fact what they are doing is really very clever. They are simply educating people (who may not normally take the least bit of notice) on their strategies for any kind of apocalyptic or natural disaster.
For example, in the USA the Federal Management Agency hosted a seminar a couple of years back highlighting the success of the ‘Zombie Preparedness’ campaign run by the Centers for Disease Control. The CDC basically used the popularity of Zombies and fictitious events to reach on and inform people on how to gear up for REAL disasters. Basically, if you are prepared for Zombies you will be prepared for most emergencies such as hurricanes, earthquakes, tornados, or some real infectious disease outbreak.
So, it would seem that whether you or I or indeed, senior officials around the world, actually believe in the possibility of a Zombie apocalypse, there is nevertheless some kind of wide arching strategy in place that could help save our bacon or help us save ourselves. Nice. Some of us could now perhaps relax a little and stop compulsively buying tins of tuna and beans when we go to the supermarket. Or not. It’s up to you.
P.s Still worried? You could always read The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks
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