Kansas Wesleyan University is launching a first of it’s kind challenge this week.

According to the school, in order to teach the importance of being prepared for the unexpected during National Preparedness Month in September, assistant professor and director of the Emergency Management program Dr. Lonnie Booker has developed an attention-getting, community-wide competition to see who can put together the best readiness “go-kit” for surviving the first 72 hours after a disaster. In this case the disaster is a “Zombinado”. Yes, that’s right. Dr. Booker explained, “You’ve heard of a ‘Sharknado,’ like the feature films of that title. So why not a Zombinado?”

On Monday Booker will launch the “First Annual Zombinado Preparedness Challenge,” open to students, faculty, and staff of Kansas Wesleyan University and all citizens of Salina. There is no cost to enter.

Starting Monday, competitors may begin. Step one: pack and display a readiness “go-kit” (sometimes referred to as a “bug-out bag” or “72-hour kit”). This portable kit must contain items that you and your family, or you and your roommates, would need in case of a Zombinado. The Zombies theme is just an attention-getter. This is a serious competition project for creating your readiness kit.

Step two: record a video, no more than two minutes in length, showing off the things you’ve put together in your readiness “go-kit”—and post it to YouTube.com with “KWU Zombinado Go-Kit” included in the video name. Your video entry may include groups of two or more people. All entries must be uploaded to YouTube, and an email sent to Dr. Booker ([email protected]) with your name, contact information and the link to your video, by 11:59 p.m. Tuesday night, Sept. 23rd.

A panel—comprised of a faculty member, a student and a member of the community emergency first responders—will review the videos and pick their top three favorites. The First Place winner will “capture” the banner that announces his or her survival of the “First Annual KWU Zombinado.”

The winner will be revealed, and the banner presented, at the KWU Emergency Preparedness Workshop by Saline County Emergency Managers on September 30th in KWU’s Peters Science Hall Room 201. A National Weather Service representative will be on hand to give a storm chaser presentation. On display outside on campus during this workshop will be the community communications trailer built by Wesleyan students, which could be deployed during disasters and contains amateur radios that have been used to communicate with the International Space Station. Also on campus will be a storm chaser vehicle similar to the one used on the Storm Chasers TV show, as seen on The Weather Channel. The public is invited to this free event.