St. Scholastica Administrators Prepare for 'Zombie Apocalypse'
Connor Stevens in Duluth
The Surge, Thursday, March 29, 2012
US officials posted advice on a government website about what to do in the event of a zombie apocalypse.
Photograph: Connor Stevens/Surge News
There are floods in the Deep South, homegrown terrorists like Al-Qaida and an economy on the brink. There is so much for Americans to worry about, but now a top US health official has added a new fear to the list: "Zombie Apocalypse". This is of course, in response to the St. Scholastica Mayfest game: “Humans vs. Zombies”.
We’ve all seen at least one movie about flesh-eating zombies taking, but where do zombies come from and why do they love eating brains so much? The word zombie comes from Haitian and New Orleans voodoo origins. Although its meaning has changed slightly over the years, it refers to a human corpse mysteriously reanimated to serve the undead. Through ancient voodoo and folk-lore traditions, shows like the Walking Dead were born.
In movies, shows, and literature, zombies are often depicted as being created by an infectious virus, which is passed on via bites and contact with bodily fluids. Harvard psychiatrist Steven Schlozman wrote a (fictional) medical paper on the zombies presented in Night of the Living Dead and refers to the condition as Ataxic Neurodegenerative Satiety Deficiency Syndrome caused by an infectious agent. The Zombie Survival Guide, written by American author Max Brooks and published in 2003, identifies the cause of zombies as a virus called Solanum. Other zombie origins shown in films include radiation from a destroyed NASA Venus probe as well as mutations of existing conditions such as prions, mad-cow disease, measles and rabies.
The rise of zombies in pop culture has given credence to the idea that a zombie apocalypse could happen. In such a scenario zombies would take over entire countries, roaming city streets eating anything living that got in their way. The proliferation of this idea has led many people here at Scholastica to wonder, “How do I prepare for a zombie apocalypse?” This article offers no advice on how best to fight off the Zombie hordes – chainsaw or shotgun? Instead recommends preparing an emergency kit and survival strategy to get you through the first couple of days before you can safely locate a zombie-free refugee camp.
Emergency kits are a must have when it comes to surviving the upcoming zombie apocalypse; so, what do you need before the “Humans vs. Zombies” actually happens? First of all, you should have an emergency kit in your dorm/apartment. This includes things like water, food, and other supplies to get you through the first couple of days before you can locate a zombie-free refugee camp. Below are a few items you should include in your kit recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
- Water (1 gallon per person per day)
- Sanitation and Hygiene (household bleach, soap, towels, etc.)
· - Food (stock up on non-perishable items that you eat regularly)
· - Medications (this includes prescription and non-prescription meds)
· - Tools and Supplies (utility knife, duct tape, battery powered radio, etc.)
· - Clothing and Bedding (a change of clothes for each family member and blankets)
· - Important documents (copies of your driver’s license, passports, birth certificates, etc.)
· - First Aid supplies (although you’re a goner if a zombie bites you, you can use these supplies to treat basic cuts and lacerations that you might get during a tornado or hurricane)
Once you’ve made your emergency kit, it is time to come up with an emergency plan.
To start off, you should sit down with your roommate(s) and come up with an emergency plan. This plan should include where you will go and who you will call when zombies start appearing outside your dorm room. The next step is to plan your evacuation route. When zombies are hungry they will not stop until they get food (i.e. brains), which means you need to get to safety fast! Plan where you will go with multiple routes you can take ahead of time so that the brain eaters don't have a chance!
Mayfest is time to celebrate the end of a long year full of late night studying, boring lectures and endless hours of homework. There are many fun games and activities that occur during this much awaited week. With Mayfest, and the zombie-type activities associated with it, fast approaching, it is important to stay informed and well prepared so that you do not end up just another flesh eating zombie.
