The State of Kansas is preparing for a zombie invasion, but it's not for the reason you think.
Thursday marked the beginning of "Zombie Preparedness Month." Kansas Governor Sam Brownback's rationale is "make a disaster kit, have a plan and practice it."
"When the power goes out, the government can't take care of everyone all at once," said Iowa disaster prepper Rex Kehrli. "To have that ability to sustain yourself for two or three weeks is a great thing."
Kehrli is in Kansas City preparing for the weekend-long Survival Expo. He puts on shows all over the country, and while the die hard doomsday preppers do show up, he says so do folks who want to make sure they have their bases are covered.
"The biggest misconception is that your preppers are abnormal or are out there," said Kehrli. "That is not the truth. In our opinion, everyone should be a prepper. Everyone should be prepared to live three or four days without power."
Which is relevant here due to the tornados, flooding and snowstorms that happen nearly every year.
"You can look just down the road in Joplin, Mo., when they had the devastating tornado," he explained. "Unfortunately, the folks down there didn't have a play book for that. That's what this event offers people; what happens when the lights go out and how do we handle that."
Which goes back to Brownback's point - if you're prepared for zombies, you're prepared for anything.
Basic Disaster Supplies Kit
A basic emergency supply kit could include the following recommended items:
- Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
- Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
- Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both
- Flashlight and extra batteries
- First aid kit
- Whistle to signal for help
- Dust mask to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
- Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
- Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
- Manual can opener for food
- Local maps
- Cell phone with chargers, inverter or solar charger
The Survival Expo is in Kansas City, Mo., at the KCI Expo hall through Sunday.
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Terra Hall can be reached at terra.hall@kshb.com.
You can also follow her on Twitter.
