Notre Dame draws students with 2nd annual ‘Zombie Preparedness Festival’

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The walking dead took over the campus of Notre Dame, but not to eat brains, but to educate them!

Despite the focus on the undead, campus came alive Thursday afternoon for the second annual Zombie Preparedness Festival with more vendors than last year.

"Essentially if you're ready for zombies, you're prepared for any emergency,” said Tracy Skibins the University of Notre Dame Senior Director of Emergency Management.

Campus Safety held the event using the premise of a zombie apocalypse to teach students emergency preparedness and safety tips in the event of a real emergency.

"And I was attracted by the zombie aspect, but they had a lot of like survival preparation. I'm really into that type of stuff and I think with a lot of like climate issues throughout the country I think it's important to know what to do in those type of situations,” said Caitlyn Higgins a student at the University of Notre Dame.

The simulation also gave students a chance to connect with local resources.

"So, when that happens, this is a kind of a lighthearted way to show people what we're about and what we can do with our community and for our community,” said Chief Bruce Harrison of the Notre Dame Fire Department.

So, while they don’t expect zombies walking around campus, they want to be as prepared as possible for any emergency scenarios.