While zombies don’t pose any real threat to Iowans, the Zombie Apocalypse Survival Camp being held in eastern Iowa in a few days offers important lessons about how to endure severe winter weather, if stranded.

Guy Cain, founder of the camp in Linn County, says the blizzard conditions that struck the state last week serve as a clear example of how harsh conditions can become, very quickly, when wind chills hit 40-below zero.

“If you’re not properly dressed and properly prepared, your life expectancy is roughly three hours,” Cain says. “We want to give people some basic knowledge so they know what to do, so nobody has to get hurt and nobody has to lose their life because of cold weather and maybe some bad circumstances.”

The six-hour course will cover a host of topics, like how to start a fire, how to collect and filter water, and how to build an emergency shelter. “An emergency shelter is as simple as having an $8 tarp from Walmart,” Cain says. “If you set that up properly and get under it, it’s amazing how much warmer it is. It’s so simple to set up in a matter of minutes. It would totally change your attitude from, ‘Oh, my gosh, I’m gonna’ die,’ to ‘Okay, I got this.'”

All Iowans could benefit from the information contained in the course, he says, like how to make a “penny stove” or what to include in emergency kits for your vehicle. For those who can’t make it to Linn County this weekend, Cain recommends the Zombie Apocalypse Survival Camp’s page on Facebook. “We do some fun stuff, we do some silly zombie stuff, we occasionally talk about zombie movies, but the real core of it is survival training, preparation, gear discussions, gear reviews, anything survival-related,” Cain says. “We welcome everyone’s questions and everyone’s input.”

Cain attained the rank of Eagle in the Boy Scouts in the 1980s and credits the Scouting program for honing his survival skills. The camp will be held Saturday from 10 A.M. to 4 P.M. at the Wickiup Hill Learning Center in Toddville. To register, contact Cain via: www.facebook.com/zombieASC