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Bella Badillo

Magen Gondar

Ms. Mckiddy

APEL

2020 January 17

Zombie preparations

A nightmare come true, a horde of zombies rampaging through cities mercilessly eating

the brains of innocent civilians. Though not very smart, yet vile, these untamed creatures of the

dead roam the streets with nothing in mind, literally, except for satisfying their fleshy craving.

As the disease that caused this barbaric turn of events spread throughout the country, it is tearing

its way to Temecula. The city needs to take into consideration the abilities of the zombies and the

necessary measures to take to protect all of those who rely on our beloved city. The key

procedures when it comes to preparing for such an outbreak are staying safe inside, preventing

unworthy exposure, and working together as a community, rather than as individuals.

Although in movies and television portray that defending oneself involves slaughtering

the zombies themselves, the safest option would be to create a tactic to prevent any exposure

from any of the infected individuals. One of these tacts simply include staying inside, similar to

other viral epidemic like the common cold, anyone can become exposed to the disease regardless

of their health, which is why isolating oneself would be the safest approach to avoid the disease.

Public health procedures involve this tactic of “sheltering in place” and “isolation due to

circumstances” in order to control the “spread of pandemic” by “reducing the opportunity for

people to come in contact with infected persons”(Source E). The U.S. Government established
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these actions to keep the community safe. These are recommended by safety experts for times of

crisis, and this apocalyptic event is the definition of a crisis. By taking these precautions the

community can ensure that they can stay safe and unexposed to the disease. When remaining

inside one must be supplied with the necessary materials to secure one’s safety and health.

Having an “emergency kit” would be useful in case of any injuries that would occur, a “battery

operated radio” is essential to have on hand during this crisis to receive further government

information regarding this cataclysmic event, and solar powered/hand-crank charger” for mobile

devices allow for fully charged cell phones when in dire need of usage(Source D). These

supplies kept an individual from British Columbia safe when the outbreak hit Canada, the

individual was able to survive long enough to join a safe center with the rest of his community.

These same supplies should keep the community of Temecula safe for the time being until a

government official can redirect citizens to a more secure shelter. To summarize, remaining

inside with the necessary materials to survive can help to protect our city from becoming heavily

inflicted with this zombie disaster. (Bella)

Keeping yourself safe in a dire situation is always important, but what should always

have priority is working together as a community rather than shunning those who are less

resourceful. With their being no discovered cure for this outrageous disease, taking the

individual, or in some ways genocide, approach can lead to being singled out as a tasty snack in a

lion’s den. “Individualism”, in relation to cities and civilians, is a society whom of which

depends on their own self-reliance. “Communitarianism” (Source B) however, is when a society

thrives and excels most with its people working together. When it comes to zombies trying to

take control and eat the first piece of flesh they find, those who aren’t corrupted with this
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infectious disease need to take action such as allowing the struggling into their shelters, helping

defend the weak or those caught off-guard, or assisting in retaining the health of those who still

have control of their conscious rather than those who have their eyes set on the flesh and blood

of the fortunate. According to CNN, a local news source, zombies, “don’t know who you are”

and especially don’t know, “what you are” (Source A). Zombies have a damaged frontal lobe,

which includes their memories, meaning that even a person's dearest loved ones can instantly

lose all recollection of the deep bond they’ve built together. With zombies not recalling us, or

our beings in general, coming together with a strong lineup will ultimately be in the benefit of

the people. All in all, having a willingness to work together will be what could decide between

life, and afterlife. (Magen)

Something of a high importance in surviving such a deadly outbreak is preventing any

possible exposure. Leaving any windows of opportunity for a zombie to assault from behind can

be what ends it all. An eyewitness run-in with two zombies mentioned how, “[they] managed to

wallop them with [their] fire extinguisher” and after dragging them outside had to, “board up the

broken window” (Source D) that they had entered through. This survivor had two zombies break

in through an exposed window of her shelter/home causing them to be attacked. When preparing

a shelter for this epidemic, always make sure any points of possible forced entry either have a

defense system, or are made impossible, if not difficult, to get through. If there is nothing

available to seal off any vulnerable areas, one could also set up a system to make a lot of noise

when these doors, windows, etc, are opened. This can be done with kids toys, household items,

chairs, and many other choices. Another tactic to maximize survival rates include outsmarting

these rottened brain monsters. Since the disease directly impacts the frontal lobe and the
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cerebellum, the zombies “can’t make complex decisions” or “walk well”(Source A). The

cerebellum and frontal lobe is involved with an individual’s movement, therefore, if an obstacle

is placed in front of a shelter that a zombie could not overcome, it lessens the chance that a

zombie would enter the fortified shelter. The movement of the zombie would be slowed and

uncoordinated, by simply putting a barricade of items that they must go through to reach a

shelter would slow the armada of monsters, giving enough time to eliminate the zombie as a

whole. In summary, creating a hindrance in a zombie’s access to a safe shelter, increases the

survival rate for the residence of Temecula. (Bella and Magen)

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and in this moment of zombie plague, we

are in our most desperate times.There are many necessary procedures to take when these beasts

begin to roam our streets in search for a fresh meal. These necessities include remaining inside

with emergency materials, working collectively as a community, and thwart off possible

exposure to the disease . With the proper protection, background knowledge, and execution, the

zombies will eventually find they are no match for such a strong and well prepared community.