January Poll results

Panic! Panic!!! PANIC!!!
This will do no one any good. Panic is not in fact a natural reaction. Panic is what the untrained mind and body does when facing new or dangerous experiences. This result is easily avoided by careful training and preparation.

Celebrate! Kill everything that moves!
Also not a good choice. There will be other survivors around and you will draw a lot of unwanted attention from both the living and the dead. Note this is an unconfirmed report, the willingness to kill at the drop of a hat for unjustified reasons is not healthy. Just saying, get help.

Ignore it and go about your daily life.
This will suffice for the vast majority of outbreaks but ignorance will not always end in bliss. Eventually a Class 3, 4 or even a Class 2 outbreak will cause everyone with this mindset to become among the first (and most deserving) to turn.

Stay calm. Immediately prepare yourself for the worst and put your well laid out survival plans into effect.
I thought this would be the most popular response. But it is an incorrect one. This is because of the misunderstandings of what a zombie report is. You will never see dramatic news reports such as are commonly in films about “the dead walking among us” or “not enough room in hell.” By the time these reports start coming it will be too late for most people. Unconfirmed reports happen all around us. Last year in Edmonton, a woman was rushed off to hospital after her husband suddenly attacked and bit her. The husband was shot and killed by police, even though he was unarmed. This is an unconfirmed zombie report. The event did happen but the truth behind it is either unknown or covered up. Now this event obviously does not call for a full scale defense nor is it an immiedately life changing event.

Keep the event in mind and watch for similar activities or cover-ups.
Take the event described above, not cause for alarm but what we have here is a possible Class 1 outbreak: a small contained incident. If for instance the wife were to die and some sort of strange explaination is given, like she died of an fever, infection or even “complications” it could be a cover-up. Or watch for similar or related events, such as a sudden unexplained death involving a police officer who happened to be one of the ones involved at this household. These events together could make it reasonably certain it was an outbreak and could continue further. These events happen around us all the time and we simply ignore them but with only a little training and vigilance they can be spotted and used to keep track of outbreaks.
A Class 1 outbreak, especially an unconfirmed one is no cause for alarm but it should by no means be ignored incase events were to escalate.

Outbreaks can be put into four Classes.
Class 1 is a small, contained event. This event will probably only involve a few people, ranging from one to twenty infected. The entire event could last a few hours or up to two weeks and will not cover an area larger then a twenty-mile radius. Response will be minimal, either civilian or police. Media coverage will also be minimal if any.

Class 2 is a larger event in a more populated area. This event may range to involve possibly up to a thousand people and between a few dozen and a few hundred infected. The entire event lasts between a few days and up to a few weeks, this is from first contact to final clean up. The area may spread from a hundred mile radius or so to as small as a couple city blocks depending on the density of the population. Response will be slightly heavier, including local and federal law enforcement and possibly even some military support. Media coverage will be high but cover-ups, disbelieve and mixed information will keep most of the truth out of the reports.

Class 3 is the largest outbreak within reason. The number of infected will rise to the thousands, possibly tens of thousands) and the number of people involved could reach up to ten times that of the infected. The infection could cover several hundred square miles, entire states, small countries or boarders. The entire event could last between weeks and up to a few months including mop-up, cover-up and clean-up. Response will be military, heavy military ranging from armor to special forces. Media coverage will be heavy but over time and through dilusion of the facts most of it will never reach the public.

Class 4 is the worst possible situation. The event true survivors are preparing for. When civilization completely breaks down. The world will become a wasteland in which new societies will be formed and the undead will wear down humanity until an estimated 500,000 survivors remain to rule the barren ruins that will be left behind in the wake of the zombie apocalypse. This period in which the world is dying is what I refer to as the fall.

Signs to look for when spotting an outbreak:

• Homicides in which the victims were executed by head shots or decapitation.
• Missing persons, particularly in wilderness or uninhabited areas.
• Cases of "violent insanity" in which the subject attacked friends or family without the use of weapons. Find out if the attacker bit or tried to bite his victims.
• Riots or other civil disturbances that have limited media coverage.
• Disease-based deaths in which either the cause is undetermined or seems highly suspect.
• Any event in which media coverage was forbidden.

Once an attack has been identified keep tabs on it. Note where it took place, similar events in the area or a path of similar events. Note how far apart the event took place in time as well as distance. Note what sort of response was made by police, military or importantly, other “extremist” groups and the like. Once you believe an outbreak to be confirmed, than actions should be taken to regarding the size of an outbreak. It is vital to note that any outbreak may escalate very quickly into the next class and it is only a matter of time until ignorance brings about a Class 4.

 

Be vigilent, may the infection never reach you, and those close to you have the resolve to do what is needed should you be so unfortunate,

Mike D.