Preparing for zombies and other disasters

A.J. Orlando (left) and Kristin Stellick said they are in the process of buying a house but “it’s so overwhelming,” Stellick said. After visiting the booth on flood insurance, Stellick said they would buy it. Karen Thornhill (right), the flood plain manager for Santa Rosa County said flood insurance is the best defense against not being able to recover after a disaster. Thornhill said a lot of people don’t know what home owners insurance and flood insurance cover. “Home owners insurance doesn’t cover a lot,” she said. During last year’s flood event, Thornhill said the majority of flood victims were not in a flood zone.

The Support Alliance for Emergency Readiness (SAFER) wants Santa Rosa County residents to know if they are prepared for a zombie apocalypse, then they are prepared for hurricanes and tornadoes. The 2015 SAFER Annual Preparedness Expo brought together the novelty of flesh-eating zombies with natural disaster preparedness. The event featured booths on various aspects of disaster readiness and zombie-themed fun for children.

At the Gulf Breeze Community Center, adults learned about the importance of flood insurance, keeping vital documents handy in case of evacuation, and disaster preparation for expecting and early mothers. Meanwhile, children had fun shooting foam darts at zombie wall-hangings and getting their picture taken as one of the walking dead.

This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Preparing for zombies and other disasters