Preparation

Preparation is the key to surviving any type of hazardous situation, and has to be considered both physically and mentally. Different types of disasters and different types of environments may present many types of dangers that require various skills. Techniques have been developed to cope with various kinds of situations; this section will focus on surviving situations which involve zombies. Concerns are: disease, thirst, hunger, climate, terrain, health, stress and fear. 


Develop your skills

Learns principles and techniques needed for surviving life-threatening situations that can occur anytime or anywhere. Take classes and courses to broaden your knowledge about what to do in various survival situations. Buy survival manuals and create a reference library. Take time every week to think or plans about what you would do in different situations and re-evaluate your plans. 


Keep your body in good physical condition.

A healthy body is not only important for direct fight, it will also allow you to endure more strenuous activities longer and keep the mind sharp in stress situation. Try to exercise on a daily basis and control your weight. Being able to run fast, and for a long time is very helpful when being attacked by fast zombies, as is being able to climb up quickly or use a weapon with skill and agility. It may be also necessary to follow a strict diet and exercise plan. Cardiovascular fitness is more important than strength training when dealing with the undead.


Prepare your mind

Mental preparation is one of the most important components of successful survival. The more you have these ideas in your mind the easier it is to recall them in a real situation.

Without emotional conditioning, you will be more susceptible to break down, get bitten/eaten or commit suicide out of despair. During a zombie outbreak, there will be death and suffering, usually of people that you were close to.

You will need to be able to operate under pressure, stand stress well, and handle the deaths of friends/family. You have even to be ready to kill your best friends if they are infected, or cope with the fact that you may, in fact, be the last man on earth.


Prepare a clandestine or defensible ‘retreat’

It can be the cellar of your house, a remote shag but make sure it is barricaded, and stockpile what is necessary in non-perishable food, water, water-purification equipment, clothing, seed, firewood, defensive/hunting weapons, ammunition, and hunting/agricultural equipment. Avoid any heavily populated areas as although there are several places to hide, there are even more zombies to smell/find you out. Just remember how 28 Days Later ended: The group found a very secluded cabin far away from major towns and cities. They developed a temporary self-survival sense. The sweeping camera angles showed that they were so secluded, even the very few zombies that did look for them starved before they even got close, riddling the lonely dirt road with decrepit zombie bodies… 


Stock supplies

Because people go into survival mode, they will stop going to work. This will mean the end of power and running water eventually. You may have these luxuries in the beginning, but do not take them for granted. Stock up on water, candles, lanterns, generators, gasoline, etc. It is inevitable that you will lose power and fresh water eventually. You do not want to be dehydrated and unable to see when the zombies attack.

Create an emergency survival kit and keep it in a place that is easy to get at. This bag contain supplies such as food, weapons, water purification equipment, clothing, medical equipment, communications gear, and tools. You might even have smaller versions in your car or travel bag just encase. The following chapter details the essential gear that you will need to survive a zombie apocalypse or any kind of major disaster.