YOUTUBE demos and videogame players are Scotland’s answer to a zombie attack – according to local councils.
A Freedom of Information request has revealed that official procedures to deal with an invasion of the undead are not in place in Scotland’s local authorities, but some councils did provide guidance.
Glasgow City Council provided links to an instructional Youtube video, detailing how to survive a zombie attack as well as referring concerned residents to a book – The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead.
A “cohort of individuals” with extensive video gaming experience are Aberdeen’s answer to overcoming an attack. But East Lothian council were unsure about the term zombie itself, asking to clarify if it meant a “corpse revived by witchcraft” or “an apathetic, lifeless person”.
The Zombie Research Society has warned however that an apocalypse “is going to happen” and people need to be more prepared.
Scotland is at risk during a zombie apocalypse after local authorities revealed their lack of contingency plans.
A request to Scotland’s 32 councils revealed that no specific plans are in place for an invasion because the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 doesn’t list it as a risk, with some councils refusing to answer as the request was “fictitious.”
Perth and Kinross Council are confident that their emergency preparation and response would lead to an “effective joint response to any emergency whether foreseen or unforeseen”.
But they said: “There are currently no indications that Perth and Kinross, or anywhere in the world for that matter is at risk of attack from zombies. “Should this change and a zombie threat is identified in the future we will consider the implications and consequences and plan accordingly.”
But Glasgow City Council appears to be far more prepared, offering guidance on what its citizens should do in the unlikely event.
The Walking Dead
They said: “The Government has not included zombie invasion in its list of mandatory contingency plans, and the Council has not identified this as likely to happen within the next five years, or indeed ever to happen, given that zombies are fictitious.
“We draw up plans for possible but non-fictitious events only. “However other bodies have considered the issue in more detail and you may find the following websites useful if you wish to make your own preparations.”
They provided a link to previous zombie related news articles, a link to Bristol Council’s fully-developed contingency plan as well a link to an instructional video on how to survive an attack.
They added: “You may also wish to consult Max Brooks’ book ‘The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead’ (2003).”
Aberdeen City Council said that because a zombie attack was listed by the government as a specific risk they did not have any zombie related plans in place.
They added however: “Fortunately, a cohort of individuals exists across the UK with extensive experience in dealing with just this type event through video game titles such as The Walking Dead.”
But David Marks from the Zombie Research Society says that they have “been attempting to inform the public of what we see as an impending global zombie apocalypse” for years.
But now people and their councils needs to take notice and be more prepared.
He said: “We have been studying current viruses, bacteria, fungi, as well as working closely with the researchers and scientists actively studying zombie-like behavior in other animals, and in some cases, humans.
“While Bristol city council’s ‘top secret’ plan, though done tongue in cheek, is a step in the right direction.
“Will we see zombies like “The Walking Dead” variety, or the zombies we see in “World War Z” or something we can’t even predict, we can not be certain.
“But one thing we can be certain about, is that it’s going happen. Are you prepared?”
The zombie researcher added however that when the apocalypse occurs, their team of “neuroscientists, doctors, PHd’s, and weapons specialists on the Zombie Research Society’s (ZRS) Advisory Board” will be on hand to help when it “inevitably occurs”.
