Zombie Apocalypse vs. Natural Disaster / Catastrophe

Obviously this site is created with some zombie fun, but the emergency preparation is real. The information gathered is real information (sources noted at the bottom of each state page) based on your state or zip code.

I'm not a survival expert but I do want my family to be safe and prepared. Here is some of what I've learned from creating these Zombie Survival Index ratings. This is a general priority list of survival needs. This should be tailored to your specific family's needs. Some of you might already have a home battery backup with a generator for instance.

Priority	Item	Importance	Reasoning
1	Water	10/10	Safe drinking water is the most urgent need because dehydration can become life-threatening within days.
2	Shelter	9/10	Protection from extreme heat, cold, wind, rain, and exposure can be necessary for survival within hours.
3	Medical	8/10	First aid, medications, and treatment prevent injuries, infections, and chronic conditions from becoming fatal.
4	Food	7/10	Food supports energy, judgment, strength, and long-term survival, although people can survive longer without it than without water or shelter.
5	Fire	6/10	Fire provides warmth, cooking, water purification, light, and signaling, but its importance varies by climate and available alternatives.
6	Power	5/10	Electricity helps with communication, refrigeration, lighting, and medical devices, but most basic survival needs can be met without it.

This is a general ranking. In extreme cold, shelter and fire could become the top two priorities, while someone dependent on powered medical equipment might rank power much higher.

For my family the priority would be: water, food, fire, power. We already have shelter and none of us have urgent medical needs. We were actually gifted a 50 gallon barrel for water (which is surprisingly affordable), but we haven't filled it up yet! We have about 2 weeks of food, but would like that to be at least 4. We have a charcoal grill for fire, but more charcoal would be best. We can live without power for a few days, but ideally we have a real back up plan here.

Assess your family needs and get prepared. Here's a survival kit list: https://zsindex.com/survival-kit

Even if you don't get it through my affiliate links, start getting these items together for yourself and family.