by Cara Dack

Created on: May 17, 2010   Last Updated: May 18, 2010

If you are reading this on the day of the zombie outbreak, then I am sorry, you are too late. The key to surviving any outbreak or apocalyptic event of this nature is in the planning. Fortunately, with a bit of tweaking, this plan will cover most scenarios. Don't despair, we will make it out of here alive!

First things first, you will need a survival kit. Start with a good quality structured back pack, nothing too heavy as you may need to carry it for many miles if the worst happens and you have to go on the run. In this bag, pack the essentials;

 1. A good first aid kit with items like alcohol wipes, needles and thread and bandages.

2. Some little bottles of vodka for sterilising (and if you get a bit stressed.)

3. High energy bars and glucose tablets to keep you going.

4. Painkillers.

5. Several bottles of water.

6. A good knife.

Now obviously, the food and drink in your pack will only keep you going a day or two. So the second thing you will need to find is somewhere to hole up. The best places will have few windows and heavy doors.

If your house isn't going to cut it then you will need to do a recce of the local area to find somewhere that will, make friends with people who have easily defensible properties and encourage them to keep a good stock of dried goods and water.

Another thing you will need to consider is where to get supplies, so on your recce, scout out the local supermarkets and pharmacies. Find out where they keep the goods and see if you can find the easiest way in. Again, try and make friends with people who work in these places, it will make life a lot easier.

Now you may or may not have a car of some sort, if you do then I would advise covering the windows with mesh now and keeping a stock of food and medical supplies in there. Maybe you could buy a second car to do this with and keep it in a garage as people will already consider you a bit odd.

Of course defending yourself is of great importance. If you can get hold of a gun of some sort then that is going to make life easier, if not then some form of sports bat or a crow bar will do a good job.

Maybe even a sword if you can find one. A good idea is to try a variety of weapons in advance and decide which you are most comfortable using. Which brings me to my last bit of advice.

Do lots of research. Take a first aid course, take a self-defence class, look up different drugs and what they do, find out if there is an army base near you (might be good as a last resort), maybe even take a survival course. All these things will help you survive the oncoming zombies.

So, you have followed my advice and are prepared for the imminent attack. There are a couple of things left to go through on the day. Pay attention to the news and find out where the outbreak started, how fast it is spreading and what the incubation period is.

A quick incubation period means that your best bet is to head for the coast and get out of the country. A slow one means you may as well just sit it out and wait for the zombies to die out and then help to re-populate (see there is always a silver lining!)

Good luck.

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