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An Ohio county is using a zombie outbreak on Halloween to prepare for more likely disasters.

More than 200 volunteers in Delaware County north of Columbus will dress as zombies Monday to help train officials who would deal with real-life situations involving hazardous materials and disaster response.

The exercise was inspired by a blog message and tongue-in-cheek posters from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that urged people to be prepared for a "zombie apocalypse" in hopes that it would prepare them for other potential emergencies.

The CDC says dozens of agencies have embraced the idea in efforts to spread that message. Among them are Kansas officials who dubbed October "Zombie Preparedness Month" and planned a "zombie walk" Saturday as part of outreach efforts.