Topic: Surviving the zombie Apocalypse #0 - Priorities

[Benx6444]

Spoken like someone who has watched a lot of movies, but never actually hit something with a car. Hitting person-sized things at high speed does a lot of damage to a vehicle. Certain fortified trucks and things might fare better, but that will require modifications....which means...shift of priorities. Bottom line, if the first transportation you find is a light pickup, do NOT try smashing it into zombies on the roadway.

Yeah, maybe, it would depend on how fast you're going but I don't think I'd feel comfortable taking a chance on using a pickup truck as a daily zombie removal weapon, however, a Semi Truck? That would probably fare much better. Which is why I used that example.

Oh and choice of weapon? Mine would be a semi-auto shotgun. Don't even really have to worry about aiming all that much. Makes headshots a lot easier.

[Hubbub]

Hitting person-sized things at high speed does a lot of damage to a vehicle. Certain fortified trucks and things might fare better, but that will require modifications....which means...shift of priorities. Bottom line, if the first transportation you find is a light pickup, do NOT try smashing it into zombies on the roadway.

I certainly agree about not ramming zombies... unless truly necessary.

This also brings up a very important point regarding care for your vehicle.  While it is possible to break in and hot wire other vehicles if the opportunity arises, it is paramount to have a vehicle working reliably at all times.

What does this mean practically?  I don't see a whole lot of need to drive faster than 30 mph (maybe 25 mph to be safe) on back roads and not a whole lot faster on highways (highways are probably a bad idea anyway).  Unless you need to cover a lot of ground before nightfall, going rather slow is probably worth it.

• 30 mph is well outside the running speed of any humanoid.
• Going slower likely decreases your noise profile.
• You can stop much quicker in case of errant wildlife (deer are as common traffic cones in my area) and more artfully maneuver around a zombies on the road.  This is vastly preferable to swerving in a moment of surprise and panic, leading to potentially deadly consequences.
• Gas mileage tends to be better below 60.

[Empty Soul]

I checked transportation.  Absolutely.

You can manage without water or food for a day or so.  Get a vehicle then GTFO of dodge.  I'm in rural PA, so Emily and I would know places where the local populace is next to zero, minimizing the likelihood of encountering errant zombies.  The ideal situation is to find a survivor's compound via radio transmission.

Good point. I also live in PA in a semi populated area but can get to rural PA in 10 minutes. My friend, who lives in Pittsburgh, and I both did a risk calculation for survival. Mine was 37% while his was 20%. While we are similar living in a heavily populated area really effects your chances of survival.

[Empty Soul]

No I was thinking about other medicines like penicillin or anything else a person might currently be on. For example I take tenormin for heart arrhythmias. With out my meds, and the zombies shuffling around, my heart would be going crazy. So I might have an even lower survival quotient.

Then sadly you die.

You say that with certainty. I prefer to believe my probability is lowered, but it is not certain I will die. In my go bag I have a months supply of medicine. But after that goes I am in trouble.

[Hanes]

I checked shelter, but I can see transportation if you need to travel far to get to this shelter, but ideally you wouldn't need to.  Depending on how quickly the outbreak occurs, most non-rural roadways will be congested with vehicles and bodies, making four wheeled transportation untenable.  So for that reason I say shelter, because if you've planned things well, you won't need transportation immediatly (though, depending on the size of the outbreak, transportation will eventually become necessary).

ES, what sort of algorithm did you use to calculate survivability?

[Empty Soul]

ES, what sort of algorithm did you use to calculate survivability?

We just used this website: http://www.randomhouse.com/crown/worldwarz/

Then go to the "Calculate Risk" tab.

[Hanes]

It gave me a 39% survival chance, but I don't buy it.  Does that mean that 39% of the people in a similar situation would survive?  That seems very high.  Figure most people will get at least 10%, that means that there's going to be a human population of 670 million in the post-apocalypse.

[Sordid]

Hitting person-sized things at high speed does a lot of damage to a vehicle. Certain fortified trucks and things might fare better, but that will require modifications....which means...shift of priorities. Bottom line, if the first transportation you find is a light pickup, do NOT try smashing it into zombies on the roadway.

Depending on how quickly the outbreak occurs, most non-rural roadways will be congested with vehicles and bodies, making four wheeled transportation untenable.

Which is why I suggested the armored, off-road capable half-track in the other thread.

Anyway, checked weapons. Transportation isn't that difficult to find (just look out the window), nor is food and water (shopping malls and gas station would do in the first few days or weeks). Electricity would be more tricky, but what exactly are you going to do with it? Watch static on TV? For portable applications, you could again raid malls for batteries.
None of those things are going to help you if when you run into a pack of zombies. Only weapons will save your life then, and around here they're not exactly common (weapons, although neither are zombies... yet).

Edit: Also, yikes! That site only gives me 28% survivability. But it's also given me an idea - zombies aren't smart enough to keep warm. The ideal place to flee to would be high mountains or the arctic, any place where a human without adequate clothing and shelter would quickly die of exposure. Such areas would be essentially zombie-free, as any zombies that wandered into those areas would quickly succumb.

[David E.]

What about a Semi Truck Cab with a mobile home attached?

[Hyperion]

Any item you would need after the Zombie Apocalypse can easily be gotten.  Just walk outside and get it. 

Want transportation?  Find any abandoned vehicle. 

Want food?  Go to any abandoned grocery store. 

Want shelter?  Either stay in your house or find an abandoned house or building. 

Want medicine?  Walk down to the nearest pharmacy or abandoned hospital.  On your way there, stop by each abandoned house, walk inside and go through the medicine cabinets. 

Of course on all of the above you will have to deal with gangs of roaming zombies who will try to eat you.  This proves the point that the first priority will always be a weapon!  Without a weapon you won't be able to get any of the other things you will need! 

If you want a real life example of the closest thing we have had of a zombie apocalypse, look no further than the L.A. Riots of 1992.  Fires raged, no electricity, gangs of roaming thugs looking to harm others, police couldn't help - they just drove as fast as they could through the area.  The only people whose businesses remained relatively unscathed were the Korean store owners who stood guard with their weapons. 

Apr. 1992

People who wish to survive a zombie apocalypse need to get over their hoplophobia and start shooting zombies if they want to make it through alive.   

[SkepticalEsquire]

What about a Semi Truck Cab with a mobile home attached?

That would be great until you started losing tires.  Then you're stuck unless you have easy access to replacements.  Better off with a working, but relatively generic vehicle such as a 1/2 ton truck.  If you lose a tire or wheel, likely you can steal another one off any of the abandoned trucks and SUVs that will probably be littering the landscape.

My priorities:

1. weapons =from which all other needs can be fulfilled
2. transportation
3. water
4. gas stores
5. generator
6. food
7. winter survival gear.

I live in central Alberta, Canada.  This means I am currently sitting in the middle of a population of 1.3 million potential zombies in circle of  20 miles diameter.  My plan would be to get myself up north, and to get to a securable location within raiding distance of a few small towns.  I figure, if we're dealing with living, but diseased and irrational zombies, I only have to worry about them until the Canadian winter takes care of them for me. If we're talking about your undead zombies, then I may have to deal with renewed outbreaks in the spring, but I can use the winter months for some zombie hunting -weather permitting.  In any event, once winter hits, my biggest concern isn't zombies, its food and a warm shelter. 

[Hanes]

People who wish to survive a zombie apocalypse need to get over their hoplophobia and start shooting zombies if they want to make it through alive.   

You make very convincing points, but is it ok to prefer a fireaxe to a firearm?

[Hyperion]

You make very convincing points, but is it ok to prefer a fireaxe to a firearm?

Which would you prefer? 

Axe:  You have to be within swinging (and biting!) range of the zombies; You must swing, hit and then pull out the axe on one zombie before you must repeat the procedure over and over again on all the other zombies; you will tire out very quickly from swinging it; a direct hit on the head still wouldn't guarantee you get to the portion of the brain you would need to destroy; and it can't be used in close quarters (like a vehicle).

Gun:  You can take out zombies from as far away as you can see them; One gun could take out 30 zombies in the time it would take you to swing your axe 5 times; a gun is much lighter than an axe - so much so a small and weakened person could still use it; you can use your gun to shoot a zombie that tries to climb in your vehicle; one head shot equals one less zombie.

If all you have is an axe, swing away!  But if you want to really survive, you'll need a gun.  I didn't see any Korean shop owners carrying around an axe! 

[Chew]

29% survivability. I have access to nuclear powered submarines! I call B.S. on that calculator for not including that option!

[Hanes]

Which would you prefer? 

Axe:  You have to be within swinging (and biting!) range of the zombies; You must swing, hit and then pull out the axe on one zombie before you must repeat the procedure over and over again on all the other zombies; you will tire out very quickly from swinging it; a direct hit on the head still wouldn't guarantee you get to the portion of the brain you would need to destroy; and it can't be used in close quarters (like a vehicle).

Gun:  You can take out zombies from as far away as you can see them; One gun could take out 30 zombies in the time it would take you to swing your axe 5 times; a gun is much lighter than an axe - so much so a small and weakened person could still use it; you can use your gun to shoot a zombie that tries to climb in your vehicle; one head shot equals one less zombie.

If all you have is an axe, swing away!  But if you want to really survive, you'll need a gun.  I didn't see any Korean shop owners carrying around an axe! 

Most guns won't do crap against a zombie, if they're of the variety of which the brain must be destroyed to stop them.  For the firearm to be effective, you'll end up being almost in melee range anyways.  Plus, with the noise generated by firing the gun, you'll attract more zombies.  Axes are silent kills.  It's true that one would fatigue when fighting a zombie hord, but with a gun, the zombie hord would kill you while you're reloading.  The axe can easily dispatch a zombie with a single blow to the head.  Guns are, well, hit-or-miss.

The only downside to the axe would be carying it, but it wouldn't be that bad.  It could be used to open/create doors, too, and that helps justify its weight.

It's true an axe would be ineffective in close quarters, and I wouldn't be opposed to carying a boomstick as a secondary weapon for such emergencies.