Why is pocketnow writing an article about the end of the world? Do we know something you don’t? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published an article called Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse on 5/16/2011. The War Powers Act says the Congress of the U.S.A has to authorize their involvement in Libya by 5/20/2011. And to top things off, there is a rumor making the rounds on Twitter that Judgement Day will be later this week (5/21/2011).

Coincidence? We’ll let you decide.

The CDC wrote their “Zombie Apocalypse” not necessarily forecasting that event will happen, rather, to get their preparedness message out to a different segment of people than would otherwise visit their site. Is the world really going to come to an end later this week? We’re not going to take a stance on either side, but like the CDC, we thought we’d provide you with some apps that could help you prepare for an emergency.

Financial Security

In this economy it’s much more likely that you’ll be hit with a financial emergency (job loss, pay cut, etc.) than an act of nature (flood, earthquake, tsunami, etc.). To prepare for the short-term you’ll want to put away an emergency fund of around US$1,000 in small bills. To help you with the long-run you’ll want to pay off as much debt as you can.

To help you with that try out the Debt Payoff Planner app, and for even more ideas you can Ask Dave Ramsey.

Food Storage

If you’re hit with either a financial emergency or a natural disaster, you might not be able to make it to the store to buy food. To prepare for this scenario it’s wise to have at least 72-hours of non-perishable food and water on-hand (a week or more is better).

To help you get your food storage going, try out E-Food Storage (beta). If you want to save some money while building up your supply, clipping coupons could help out! Try one of the apps from Grocery Smarts to help you identify and print coupons — you save a bundle!

72-Hour Kit

“Preppers” sometimes call this your “grab-and-go bag” or “bug-out bag”. Essentially, your 72-hour kit should include everything that you’d need to survive for at least 3 days in your home area (taking into consideration seasonal swings in temperature and weather). Basically, it’s a deluxe camping kit, so starting out with a detailed camping checklist lends itself well to getting your 72-hour kit built. Camping Trip Checklist is an app for your Android that does just that!

Get in Shape

It doesn’t sound like this should fall under an “emergency preparedness” article, but your health is vitally important. Statistically, your “emergency” could very likely be caused by your poor health. You could be overweight, not in shape, or might not be eating right. Even if your emergency isn’t caused by a health problem, being in shape when a “real” emergency hits will help you get through it much, much easier. These apps should help you get in shape and be less prone to health-related emergencies.

Advanced Prepping

If you’ve already done everything we’ve mentioned above, my hat’s off to you! In that case, you’re probably more interested in more advanced prepping techniques. You probably already know about The Survival Podcast (they offer great tips, videos, and other resources for “when times get tough, or even if they don’t”), and with this app, you can get their content right in the palm of your hand!

You may also want to brush up on some information the US Military uses for training their soldiers, converted for use on your Android:

- U.S. Army Survival Guide for more detailed camping tips

- US Marines Close Combat Guide just in case you end up needing to defend yourself

- US Army Sniper Training Manual, which teaches proper firearm safety and technique which you could use to improve your hunting skills

Of course, if the CDC is right and there is actually an inevitable Zombie Apocalypse, don’t get caught without the Zombie Survival Guide Handbook.

And, last, but certainly not least, if the power fails you’re going to need a solar panel or wind turbine to keep the lights on and your Android running.

Image: UndeadAndroid.com