Librarians at the West Hollywood Library said they are always looking for opportunities to help educate and prepare the public for any emergency. With Halloween approaching, the librarians decided to enhance their usual disaster preparedness presentation to include advice about how to prepare for a zombie apocalypse.

West Hollywood librarian David Davis shows off his zombie makeup during the disaster preparedness presentation on Monday. (photo by Gregory Cornfield)

Disguised in zombie makeup, members of the American Red Cross presented the Zombie Apocalypse Preparedness plans at the community meeting room at the West Hollywood Library on San Vicente Boulevard on Monday. They discussed natural and unnatural disasters and how residents can be ready for them in advance.

“Surprisingly, a lot of the things that you need after a zombie apocalypse are things that you need for any kind of emergency situation,” said Sara Breuer of the Red Cross.

Their first rule of disaster preparedness is to make a kit. Water, food, first aid and medications are essential. Daniel Laub of the Red Cross recommended one gallon of water per day, per person, with enough for at least three days.

In the event of a zombie apocalypse, they recommend long objects to keep the undead away.

“A first aid kit is going to be especially important after a zombie apocalypse,” Breuer said. “In ‘Fear of the Walking Dead’ the zombie apocalypse strike was in Los Angeles. Some of the survivors were trying to get to the hospitals, and that was actually the first place that was overloaded and completely shut down because all the dead people in the hospitals came back to life.”

She said having first aid ready is going to be important during any big disaster.

“Hospitals are going to be overloaded relatively quickly because a lot of people could be injured,” she said. “So the more emergency and first aid supplies you have, the better off you’re going to be.”

The presenters said carrying money probably won’t be important after zombies take over, but after other major disasters, they recommend having $200 in cash in small bills since ATMs and bank services might be down.

The second rule is to make a plan. Red Cross representatives used the “House Rules in the Event of a Zombie Apocalypse” as an example. It included steps such as “gather all essential supplies upstairs and destroy staircase” to prevent zombies from reaching you and “fill all available containers with water while it is still available.”

“Zombies cannot be reasoned with,” the plan reminded attendees. “Maybe [that zombie] used to be your aunt, but it’s not anymore.”

The Red Cross recommends practicing all disaster preparedness plans frequently, or as often as twice a year. Two escape routes should be designated in case one is blocked by fire or debris after an earthquake. The plan should include having a current list of both out-of-state and in-state contacts, and designated places to meet up with others.

The third rule is to be informed. Presenters suggested people acquire hand-crank radios for their emergency kits to stay in touch with the few stations that are designated as emergency signals that will broadcast Red Cross shelter locations. They recommended residents register cell phones at alert.lacounty.gov to receive reverse 9-1-1 alerts, and to download the Red Cross emergency mobile apps.

Los Angeles resident Aimee Martinez said she enjoyed the presentation. She said she attended because she is interested in being prepared for disasters, and in zombies. She said she feels better prepared for an emergency, but she had some suggestions and thoughts regarding the zombie preparedness part of the presentation.

“I wish they would have done more on decapitating zombies, and on how to destroy them,” she said. “I’m actually more afraid of the people who survive a zombie apocalypse, because I can predict the behavior of the zombies, but I can’t predict the behavior of the survivors. It’s going to be survival of the fittest.”

West Hollywood librarian David Davis said the goal of the event was to attract more people to the presentation on serious topics by making it more fun and accessible.