Are you ready for a zombie apocalypse? - WFXG FOX54 Augusta - Your News One Hour Earlier

From the most watched drama on cable TV, to the covers of big magazines, from cities across the country and even right here to the streets of Augusta, the craze for zombies is spreading like a virus.

"I don't know what the deal with the zombie movement is, all I know is that zombies never go out of style, zombies are always popular," said Bryce Craps.

Augusta Zombie Walk creator Bryce Craps has been asking people to come back from the dead to stagger through the streets of Augusta for three years.

At this year's Zombie Walk close to 1,000 gory and gruesome zombies showed; looking, as some might say, like a feast for the eyes.

So, why is the craze for zombies at a fever pitch?

"People like to be scared and zombies are always a scary thing; that relentlessness that they have, that they just won't stop," Craps, said.

The infectious appeal for zombies has even spread to the Center for Disease Control and the American Red Cross.

From a book by the CDC about preparing for a zombie pandemic to a Zombie Avoidance Specialist and a Zombie Hotline at the American Red Cross; the disaster groups are using the zombie craze to spread their message.

"To get the word out that being prepared is important, any type of crisis it's important that you're prepared because it can help facilitate your recovery better. It can help you have the resources to survive any sort of crisis," said American Red Cross Volunteer, Olivia Garrison. 

The American Red Cross says to survive any disaster, from hurricanes to zombies, you'll need one gallon of water a day per person and non perishable food, like rice and dry beans.

You will also need a first aid kit, at least two weeks worth of medicine, a weather radio, a change of clothing and important documents.

Chris Pemberton leads the Zombie Outbreak Response Team in the CSRA; and he doesn't know if there will be a zombie apocalypse anytime soon, but he says he's prepared for the worst.

"When I go to the store or I'm going shopping I get a little extra, maybe $5, $10 of something I don't need right now and I'll have it for later just in case," Pemberton, said.  

He isn't the only one that's ready for disaster. He says the more than 600 subscribers to his zombie Facebook page are prepared too.

"It's not really just the zombie apocalypse you're prepared for. But if you're prepared for one then you're prepared for just about anything," said Pemberton.

So no matter what your thoughts about a zombie apocalypse are, one thing is certain, it can't hurt to be prepared for the very worst.

For the record, the CDC says zombies do not exist, but they have a zombie survival guide just in case. Here's the link to their guide: http://www.cdc.gov/phpr/zombies_novella.htm