Before Brad Pitt starred in the movie World War Z, it was a book by Max Brooks. The movie and book are just about as different from one another as possible, with only a little carry-over from one to the other, but both of these combined give us some pretty great tips on how to prep for a disaster.
While the chance of zombies overtaking the world is in reality far-fetched, these tips apply to just about every form of disaster preparedness and survival. Here are the top 8 prepper tips learned from World War Z.
1. Training is Important
In both the movie and the book, training plays a huge part in successful survival. For the movie, Brad Pitt’s training from the military gave him the skills he needed to get the job done.
In the book, the downed Air Force Colonel Christina Eliopolis used her survival skills as well as basic navigation skills to get from where she parachuted in to where she was to be rescued. Without these skills she would never have made it.
These examples should show that when it comes down to it, the best weapon you have is training. Learn how to survive, read a map, use your weapons, and navigate unknown terrain now, when it’s just training and not later, when it’s survival.
2. Pay Attention to the Warning Signs
While the zombie war starts much more quickly in the movie, both the book and the movie note there were warning signs that something bad was on the horizon. As with most issues, the warning signs usually start with odd news reports and stories on the Internet at first, then move to more local problems until the issues are so widespread a full outbreak or disaster is in full swing.
Pay attention to the news as well as reputable sites on the Internet, but take what you read with a grain of salt, too. There is a thin line between paranoia and preparedness, so make sure you’re on the right side of that line. Paranoia will make you more stressed and ultimately less prepared, so pay attention to the world around you and know when it’s time to start taking action.
3. Be Watchful of Your Surroundings
The worst thing you can do in a survival situation is to get comfortable and not pay attention to your surroundings. In the world of zombie books and movies, it’s when the main character gets distracted that the zombie hiding by the side of the road reaches for a bite, or the not-so-main character gets attacked.
While it’s hard to be always “on” in a survival situation, issues can come from just about anywhere. We’re trained to not assume the worst in every situation to make it through daily life, but in a world overrun with zombies or people that want to do you harm, you need to listen, watch, and overall just pay attention all the time.
This is why having a few people with you can be a good thing. Nobody can pay attention 24/7, so having a few people to take turns can be a real lifesaver. If something seems out of place, it probably is and you should be ready for the worst.
4. Know When to Stay and When to Go
One divisive idea in the prepper world is whether to bug in or bug out in emergencies. While everyone has their favorite, neither is right or wrong all the time. The key is knowing when to stay where you are and when to go.
Leaving your home or base of operations isn’t easy and will ultimately leave you with less supplies, but just like when Jerusalem is overrun in the movie, no matter how much it hurts to leave, sometimes it’s the only option and knowing when this is the case can be vital to survival. Weigh your options and whichever is the smaller risk is what you must do, no matter the attachment or value you’ve placed on where you are or where you want to be.
5. Roofs and Basements Leave You with Few Options
Unless you have some friends with a Pave Hawk fueled and waiting, hiding out on a roof to escape combatants probably isn’t the best idea. Brad Pitt was able to escape with his family on a military helicopter from the roof of an apartment building, but without that he would have been lost.
The same goes for basements. As people we’re used to the idea that a basement can protect us, since this is where we are trained to go in an emergency like a tornado or other bad storm. Heading to a basement when someone could be after you only corners you and gives you nowhere else to go.
Roofs, attics, and basements only really have one way in and out, so only use them in situations when evasion isn’t a concern.
6. The Government will Probably React Incorrectly
In World War Z the book, one of the first major battles with the zombie hoard in the US took place in Yonkers, NY. The military put on a big show with tanks and missiles, but as the story tells, these weapons did little to slow the constant flow of zombies. The same went for the small arms the soldiers used, too.
The government not only has to react to emergencies, but it must keep itself looking good in the face of issues as well. This means that the best approach to a problem isn’t always the one taken. All plans are come up with by people that aren’t in the thick of things, making them somewhat removed. All you have to do to get real-world proof is look at New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
With the government most likely making mistakes, it’s really up to you to survive during a disaster. Even if they get it right, your preparedness will make it so they have one less person to deal with and someone that really needs help can get it.
7. A Good Situation can Turn Bad Quickly
Just when you think things are getting better is when you relax, and all it takes is a moment for a situation to go bad. Just about every zombie movie has the scene where the survivors are relaxed and walking in the woods, commenting on how things might just be getting better, and as you probably can guess watching it, that’s when things always get really bad.
Enjoy good times when you can, but know that you always have to be at least somewhat on-guard or else that bad situation could be your last.
8. If the Disaster is Fixable, it will Take Time
The last tip in this list has to do with the long-term solution to any major disaster. Sooner or later just about every problem or disaster has a resolution, but those resolutions often take far more time than originally planned. In the book World War Z, the Zombie War goes on for many years, and even after victory is claimed against the undead, cleanup is set to take years after that.
Unlike the movies, where the zombies or aliens or bad guys die and everything is better again (Think Independence Day), in the real world, these things take time. If you’re talking about a natural disaster, it will take months if not years to get all the infrastructure back into working order.
In the case of zombies, even though the war was won in the book, there were still zombies hiding that popped up from time to time. The tip here is to understand that when a disaster happens, stopping the disaster takes far less time than getting everything back to normal. This is why you need to prep for as much time as possible off-grid.
If you only learn one thing from this, it should be that everything takes more time than you originally think. Prepare yourself now for the long haul and you’ll have the best chances of making it through in one piece.