Uncle Sam Wants You to Prepare for Zombies (And Hurricanes)
FEMA is gearing up for Zombie Awareness Month (October, of course) as part of its clever – and very successful – emergency preparedness public education campaign. And it’s using webinars and blogs to get the word out. We bet you had no idea that the Federal Emergency Management Agency could be so hip.
As it turns out, the whole thing started in early 2011 with the CDC asking people what they were prepared for via Twitter. When “zombies” started popping up among real emergencies, the agency fleshed out a marketing plan that was easy on the budget and, it turned out, wildly popular. There’s even an online novella.
The blog post that is credited with having kicked off the feeding frenzy is titled “Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse.” It runs you through “A Brief History Of Zombies” and then gives you tips for preparedness items and action plans (all of which, incidentally, are good to have or know in the event of other disasters).
Now, federal and state government preparedness agencies routinely use the dead to bring the living to their zombie-related blogs. They report that, while people come to their websites and events for the pretend disaster, many stick around to learn more about dealing with real catastrophes.
As it turns out, the whole thing started in early 2011 with the CDC asking people what they were prepared for via Twitter. When “zombies” started popping up among real emergencies, the agency fleshed out a marketing plan that was easy on the budget and, it turned out, wildly popular. There’s even an online novella.
Image Credit: CDC
The blog post that is credited with having kicked off the feeding frenzy is titled “Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse.” It runs you through “A Brief History Of Zombies” and then gives you tips for preparedness items and action plans (all of which, incidentally, are good to have or know in the event of other disasters).
Now, federal and state government preparedness agencies routinely use the dead to bring the living to their zombie-related blogs. They report that, while people come to their websites and events for the pretend disaster, many stick around to learn more about dealing with real catastrophes.
