By Anthony Biondi (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: June 6, 2012
Nearly anyone who has played any sort of zombie video game or watched a zombie movie has formulated their own plan in the event of a real life outbreak. It may involve holding up in a super mall, or running away to the countryside to avoid populated areas. These fictional plans may be well formulated, but the BC government has released a blog that challenges the public to do better.
A few weeks ago, the BC government released a blog on the Emergency BC Info website. It contains a detailed personal blog of a survivor during a Zombie outbreak, highlighting the daily activities and methods of survival. The blog emphasizes not just the importance of being prepared, but the application of government emergency programs, such as the Emergency Info BC Twitter-feed and blog. “The B.C. government is hoping its fictional advice will generate interest in a set of social media tools that aim to help the public in real emergencies,” stated the article in The National Post, “The campaign is meant to get the public watching for real alerts and updates using the online tools, including Amber Alerts, earthquakes, avalanches, wildfires, floods and tsunamis.” The blog itself is composed of a series of articles. A large portion of the release was a personal blog of a girl trying to survive the outbreak. She follows the guidelines and preparedness checklists on the body of the site, to serve as a guide for the reader. The website also includes a short video that highlights the importance of what the blog is attempting to portray.
Of course, the BC government is not expecting zombies any time soon. They released this as a fun way to raise awareness on how to be properly prepared for any emergency situation. “While the chance of zombies a-knockin’ on your door is pretty slim, we do believe that if you’re ready for zombies, you’re ready for any disaster,” the blog states, rather forwardly. The idea is quite simple: items such as emergency kits, blankets in the car, even making sure there is enough gas in the tank at all times are just the basics that everyone should have. Though, not all the information is so obvious. Some of the tips given can be easily overlooked, such as keeping an out-of-province contact.
This has not been the only attempt in the zombie instructional craze. According to the blog, “Last year, the US Center for Disease Control created a graphic novel, Preparedness 101: Zombie Pandemic, that demonstrates the important of emergency preparedness.” It would seem then that the popular genre has caught the attention of governments everywhere to attempt to educate its citizens with a fun yet relatable scenario that may prepare us for the worst, whether it be zombies or earthquakes.
