Why America will survive the Zombie Apocalypse
Photo by Patrick J. Dodson
Since so many countries limit, or prohibit private firearm ownership, its more likely that America will survive the Zombie Apocalypse than perhaps any other country. Everyone says that Americans are all gun crazy warmongers, but that is definately going to help us survive when so many other countries will fall under the rotting foot of the undead menace.
This is just a fun topic with links to some youtube videos for everyone to watch and comment on.
Full Auto shoot 1
Mail Call episode from Knob Creek full auto shoot
(This article was not aimed at slandering or poking fun at any other countries. Try to enjoy this for what it is. Don’t over think it.)
Stay safe. Stay informed. Stay alive.
Comments (82)
KillerB on 05 Dec 2009 at 8:15 pm #
GO 2nd Amendment…………………God Bless our Great Nation…….Americans love our guns and we will die for the RIGHT to keep them. If you do not understand the importance of individual ownership of small arms just look at our own history. Guns that were owned by private citizens were used to great effect in the Revolutionary War, Civil War, and durring our westward expansion. Our country would still be under British control if it were not for the militia and privite ownership of small arms. We are the greatest country in the world for a reason. We fight, we bleed and we belive in freedom for all mankind. We have spent the last 100 years fighting for a better world. Once you get past the politics and buracracy AMERICA is without peer on this water covered chunk of space rock. Wait a minute……..FUCK THAT……..America is the gretest nation ever………even with our flaws!
KillerB on 05 Dec 2009 at 8:18 pm #
Wait we have been fighting for a better world since we became a nation. So sorry for the mis-type………….
God Bless America
Stephen on 05 Dec 2009 at 9:11 pm #
Firstly – zombies are not an actual argument for or against the second amendment. That should be pretty obvious. It is just fun.
Secondly – it’d be interesting to see what such high gun ownership leads to in terms of mistaking people for zombies — you might be able to mow down the zombie hordes but what about the other human beings who look like zombies from a distance? Eventually, if you shoot too many survivors, you’re not going to get America back.
Thirdly – I think the other countries with lower gun ownership will have to pretty much hunker down behind a big wall and quarantine zones and rely on their armies etc to hold off the horde. That’s risky because of infection but it means that their societies are kept together so that if they manage to avoid infection they can start over together as a country. If you separate into little post apocalyptic communities with a fence around the border and a rifle on your porch there’s not the same incentive to join up with and be part of someone else’s recollection of what “America” was before the zombies.
jay on 05 Dec 2009 at 10:06 pm #
its not all about guns though is it and who says america will survive no 1 knows
KillerB on 05 Dec 2009 at 11:15 pm #
OK using Zombies as a reason to justify the second amendment is retarted……….if you got that from what i wrote then……..well sorry i was not clear. I was simply stating that Americans are simply the best out there. 100 Million walking dead people would be no problem at all. Canada, Mexico, UK, France, Germany, and every other country is 2nd when compared to America. I am not sorry if I offend you if you are not an American. If you are an American and are repulsed or pissed about what I wrote then learn to get over things. It is how I feel about this country where I was born and raised so if I am a little one sided……..Who Cares. Using the argument that using guns to kill Zombies might lead to the liveing getting killed……..WHAT!
I am sorry to report that every nation, both large and small, care very little about the well being of the civilivan population in a war. They TRY to minimize unnessary death and suffering but it has been my experiance that innocent people often find themselves in the cross hairs of a rifle or bomb site. America will be here after a zombie invasion and we will suffer far less than other nations, not because we have guns but because we are Americans. America will rebuild out of the ashes and rubble. Other countries will not know what to do because there will be no aid from the Americans that they love to hate. What will the rest of the world do with out American aid……….?
Angryvikingman on 06 Dec 2009 at 12:10 am #
Well, personally, I think the U.S. is the most humane warmongering country there is. We actually try to minimize civilian casualties, where as places such as former soviet republics, africa, and other eastern european countries just slaughter civilians and don’t give a damn about it. When you see americans machete a whole village because they’re from the wrong area, or tribe, then you can bitch about americans being horrible, warmongering, power/oil hungry, evil tyrants. Until then, go lay in front of a tank you bleeding heart liberal hippies. Until you can match the contribution of a revolutionary/civil war/WWI/WWII/Korean war/Vietnam/desert storm/Afghan war/Iraq war veteran, then shut the hell up. Even if you’re from another country, you have troops fighting somewhere overseas. Its called genocide, and the U.S. ALWAYS tries to help, but ends up being called “Warmongers” and “An Evil Empire” and all this other crap. Well, we have the worlds largest armed citizenry, and we have the most guns per person at something like 7 per person, but we have comparably low crime. Lower than the U.K., and lots of other places. Anyone here could be armed at any time, and thats a deterrent to lots of would be criminals. As for what that has to do with zombies, well, that means that we can all find a gun, and ammo at just about any walmart, or other sporting goods store and overcome the zombie menace, where as other countries, you have to go to a government run institution to buy and register a firearm. Good luck getting into one of those fortresses when the shit hits the fan. Its zombieland, and only the armed survive. I hate to do any political grandstanding, but when people start hating, then I get upset. If you want to hate, then hate the right people, not the ones who are misguidedly trying to help the whole world. Personally, I think we should let the world go to hell in a handbasket and bring ALL troops home from foreign soil to concentrate on humanitarian problems at home. STOP ALL IMMIGRATION, allow no one who isnt american into the country, unless they go through a nationally regulated naturalization process which they complete from their home country, and that they be required to speak the language when they get here. Assimilate, you aren’t mexican-american, ect., you’re just american. No flag should be waved in this country but the American or State flags, UNLESS we’re hosting the fricking olympics or something. No one really started hatin’, but I could see it coming, so just don’t….
Angryvikingman on 06 Dec 2009 at 12:18 am #
As for shooting survivors:
The actions and gait of a live vs. undead person would be dramatically different, and recognizable even at a great distance. I doubt that there would be a high casualty rate from mis-recognition. Observe, decide, then fire. Military snipers dont just fire when they see their targets, they have to decide on a plan of action and the consequences before they pull the trigger. Revealing yourself by firing could easily get you killed or worse, turned into the undead.
Lower gun ownership countries:
They could ban together in a glorious display of brotherhood and sing “Kumbaya” and all that happy horse crap, but its more likely that they’d resort to mob rule and club, stone, hang, burn, ect. people that they thought had been infected. During “witch hunts” like that, many innocent people seem to suffer the burden of other’s stupidity, hatred, bias,ect. People who aren’t capable of defending themselves often resort to any means of staying alive. That could lead to the downward spiral of their new zombie-free zones. The military, no matter how well prepared cant hold off MILLIONS of undead. I’m pretty sure where ever theres a giant wall keeping people safe, there will be a horde of zombies waiting for that one idiot to do something stupid and let them all in. It invariably happens in every situation. Some nut tries to get out to find their family, or some crap and destroys the whole community in the process. A healthy dose of paranoid behavior is good, and tends to keep away the idiots, religious nuts, and other people who inevitably cause the ruination of a misanthropic utopia. It’d kind of be like “The Postman” but with zombies. I could live that way.
Ronin666 on 06 Dec 2009 at 12:58 am #
Actually, even tho there are a lot less gun owners here in Aus we also have only 22 million people on a land mass the size of the USA who have more than 22 mil people just in LA if I’m correct. What that gives me is a hell of a lot of space to avoid zeds in :) While we may not have semi auto rifles and pump action shotguns or high cap pistols, those of us who ARE armed actually know how to shoot and do so regularly to keep our licences.
It would be interesting to see the range/feild time/shots fired ratio between here and the US for the average gun owner. I did say AVERAGE. Just to keep my license I have to shoot in 6 competitions a year for each handgun that’s 600 rounds without practice,load development per gun.I generally shoot every weekend so I’m probably not average, most people I know shoot once or twice a month. So I probably average about 8000 rounds a year in my handguns. Levergun and shotgun are probably half that and I admit I don’t shoot my long range rifles as much as I’d like due to the long distance range being a considerable distance from where I live but they probably get 600 each a year. I look at long distance (300yds or more) as being food gathering rifles as I see no reason at all to shoot a zed that far away, better to save the ammo and move on.
Ronin666 on 06 Dec 2009 at 1:20 am #
Killer B, while I find your patriotism admirable, please explain how just being American makes you better? Because there are more of you? no, then China wins, your more technically advanced, no, Japan wins there,
The fact is we are all humans, if we could get over this nationality thing maybe peace would become achievable. Geography has nothing to do with a mans worth, there are just as many evil people in the US as in any other human population. My father fought the Japanese in WW2 did he hate them? no, he said “They didn’t want to be there any more than we did.”
Everyone wants peace and freedom, some just don’t have the means to attain it. You can’t judge a race or nation by it’s leaders.
If there was no oil in the middle east would anyone care that the people there were downtrodden? The people of Somalia are downtrodden but their country has nothing of worth so they stay that way.
Semper Cogitant on 06 Dec 2009 at 1:40 am #
Though I wouldn’t want to face Zombies without a gun or three, that’s hardly the only thing that will help America survive. Surviving is what we do here, it’s the American spirit (fast fading these days…) that will help is survive more than anything else.
Our not too distant ancestors conquered tamed a huge area, and we still carry some of that spirit. The same is true of some other countries, especially Australia I’d say.
We have a lot of people here that live on their own, support themselves and survive for themselves, so do some other countries, and those are the folks that will survive.
Owning guns is part of that spirit here, and in some other places.
Most of Europe and Asia, and in fact a lot of the coastal areas here in the US don;t have that spirit at all, there are very few folks that take care of themselves. Folks that can;t make a grilled cheese sandwich until the government cheese is delivered. All those folks that are totally dependent on the state will go to the state shelters and die, or sit at home and die waiting for the state to come save them.
America is not really the most likely place to survive when the zombies come. Like Mr. Brooks I think Israel is likely to survive quite well, they have been a nation in arms for generations, everyone is armed and trained and many are combat experienced. The same is true to a lesser extent for some Latin American and Middle Eastern nations, though their despotic and generally corrupt governments will get in the way. Nations in Sub Saharan Africa are also well armed and well experienced, but the tribal hatreds and wars that have made recent history such a disaster in that region might stand in the way.
Switzerland will be an interesting case. Few nations ahve a better armed population, and almost everyone has at least basic firearms training. Yet the Swiss are one of those peoples that are totally dependent on the state. Will they leave their Sig 550 and box of ammo at home to go die in the shelters waiting for government cheese, or will they act on their own to survive?
Angryvikingman on 06 Dec 2009 at 3:02 am #
LOL @ government cheese.
As for “average shooters” I wouldnt know. Everyone I hang out with is a firearms enthusiast to some extent and can shoot at least well enough to hit a person at 25 yards with the pistol. I do know that in the hands of the “Average citizen” a pistol is as an effective tool as a brick. Most people who have never handled guns probably couldnt hit their own foot on purpose. I’ve seen a girl have a panic attack because someone showed her a 1911. I couldnt help but laugh at the absurdity of that. There was an episode of a TV show called “30 days” where a woman had to live with a “gun nut” and his son. She even worked at a gun store. The first time she shot a gun she started crying. The first time I shot a gun, I was hooked.
You can watch it here if you want:
http://www.fancast.com/tv/30-Days/62565/783066769/Gun-Nation/videos
So, enjoy.
3-15 INF on 06 Dec 2009 at 6:04 pm #
I’m not so sure americans are so independent. i think the majority of people in america would have a lot of trouble making it if the infrastructure collapsed. Food without a grocery store, and life without modern conveniences would quickly become desperate and violent. Combine that with alot of people owning guns that they barely understand and you get a nasty bloodbath that would end rather quickly (within weeks). Those who could combine good survival knowledge with the ability to adapt quickly will be the survivors. I don’t know a single reason why one region of the world would have an advantage in that. The only places I would think of would be desolate cold places. Canada has more guns per capita, a smaller population, more natural resources, more people living off the land already, and colder climates that might make zombies slower in the winter. Canada has my bet. I love the USA but don’t think most of the US has the right conditions. I’d be driving north and avoiding towns.
Semper Cogitant on 06 Dec 2009 at 6:27 pm #
3-25 Inf: Pretty sure that away from the biggest cities and the most liberal dominated areas you’d find lot’s of survivors. I especially like the chances of the northern part of the country, say from Eastern Washington to the Dakotas and down as far as Utah and Nebraska. A lot of people in those areas that can grow their own groceries and kill their own meat if needed, a lot of survivor types. The area of Canada north of there is also and excellent choice, but in the cities of both areas people will die while they sit and wait for the government to help them. Seattle and Vancouver will be the worst.
Of course, since I live between the two I’m in trouble if I don’t get out ahead of the crowd. Hoofing it over a hopelessly blocked Highway 20, climbing over a few dozen miles of zombie riddled traffic jam might be a bit of a challenge.
Angryvikingman on 06 Dec 2009 at 6:31 pm #
Well, speaking about how to survive without a grocery store, I did three new videos today on small game traps. I showed how to make and deploy a “spring type” trap, that uses a bent tree branch or sapling to spring the trap when the trigger is released,
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheAngryvikingman
I tried to break it up into sections so that people could rewatch parts without having to watch the whole video or wait for it all to load.
Watch and enjoy!
KillerB on 06 Dec 2009 at 8:23 pm #
@ everyone here. Being and American makes us better than the rest of the world for multiple reasons. 1 we are the stablizing factor in almost all conflicts on this planet. Either through negotions or force we are there. Who cares about Japan. We can take them out in a week, China……..again, who cares………….who do you think was the main fighting force for the North Koreans. I think we pretty much can take them as well. Russia are they still a country?????? UK, France, Spain. They are next to worthless in combat and have no power in any internation political arena. The UN would crumble in less than a year if it were not for the United States. Shame on all of you if you are patriotic. If you live in America and have no thoughts of how and why you have the freedoms and liberties that you do then it is high time that you serve you country………..or get the FUCK OUT. If you hate America and you do not live here then I can say from the bottom of my heart that I feel sorry for you. But I can also say that I could give a fuck less about you. Americans are simply the best…….we have no peer………and I am sure that we have helped what ever shithole country you live in at least once in the last 200 years. So you are Welcome. We did not ask for a Thanks when we helped you out. I am not seeking a Thank You here. But to all who doubt the combined political and military powers of America and most of all the desire to root out and destroy all evil in this world then you have a very driven a capable advasary.
KillerB on 06 Dec 2009 at 8:26 pm #
Ok I wrote shame on you if you are patriotic. I meant if you are NOT partiotic. Sorry for the mistype…………Let the blows come!
I am an American and Love my country……..
KillerB on 06 Dec 2009 at 8:30 pm #
@ everyone here. Being and American makes us better than the rest of the world for multiple reasons. 1 we are the stablizing factor in almost all conflicts on this planet. Either through negotions or force we are there. Who cares about Japan. We can take them out in a week, China……..again, who cares………….who do you think was the main fighting force for the North Koreans. I think we pretty much can take them as well. Russia are they still a country?????? UK, France, Spain. They are next to worthless in combat and have no power in any internation political arena. The UN would crumble in less than a year if it were not for the United States. Shame on all of you if you are not patriotic. If you live in America and have no thoughts of how and why you have the freedoms and liberties that you do then it is high time that you serve you country………..or get the FUCK OUT. If you hate America and you do not live here then I can say from the bottom of my heart that I feel sorry for you. But I can also say that I could give a fuck less about you. Americans are simply the best…….we have no peer………and I am sure that we have helped what ever shithole country you live in at least once in the last 200 years. So you are Welcome. We did not ask for a Thanks when we helped you out. I am not seeking a Thank You here. But to all who doubt the combined political and military powers of America and most of all the desire to root out and destroy all evil in this world then you have a very driven a capable advasary.
Ronin666 on 07 Dec 2009 at 2:38 am #
Patriotism is one thing, blind fanaticism is another. The words you have written Killer B shows you have same mentality as the very people your country is fighting. Get over your self. You need to study a little history and look a bit deeper into what the media feeds you. China, who cares? You should because they have been stockpiling US dollars for years and pretty much control your currency, they showed just how they can do that about 18months ago with a little tremor on your stock market, your government also had to admit that they used chinese made electronics in many of your satellites and the chinese put in a kill a switch.
Governments do not run run countries,corporations do. Are you aware that Opel (General Motors) trucks rolled across Poland for the Nazi’s in WW2? The US was supplying both sides with equipment for the first few years. Which side a country takes has nothing to do with nobel intentions, it’s about how much each side has to spend or offer it’s corporations.
Your own President speaks about a new world order, a world government, I hate to disappoint you but the US won’t be it, it will be a a global corporate government.There won’t be any more countries as we know them just economic regions.
The evil that needs rooting out is not nations or races or individuals, it’s the corporations who profit from your hatred, ignorance and arrogance.
McLuvin on 07 Dec 2009 at 3:20 am #
I find it amusing that this has become a political debate between a super patriotic nutjob and someone with an obvious axe to grind against america. In reality, where I prefer to reside, the U.S. is populated by a vast cross section of humanity. There are millions of americans that could quickly adapt to life off the grid. There are also hundreds of millions that would die within months. A very large portion of our society could not survive if our system collapsed. We have a very old population. The number of senior citizens in this country is staggering with the baby boomers coming of age. They would never be able to survive without modern medicine. Add to that all the useless welfare cases that can’t buy groceries without uncle sam, let alone grow food. Don’t forget the large percentage of city dwellers that have no idea how to survive where the world isn’t covered in concrete.
The ones that will live will be the natural survivors. The country boys who grew up caring for livestock. The 4H/FFA members that know where a burger comes from. It is also likely that these people will be experienced with firearms. Without firearms no one will be able to survive the hordes. I don’t care how good you are with your fencing foil, you’re not THAT good. Our weapons will be the most important thing we own when we have to fight to live.
Angryvikingman on 07 Dec 2009 at 4:01 am #
I’m an FFA/4H kid. LOL! Got my greenhand and all that. I did meat/horse/soil judging in 4H. LOL!
I know how to grow a garden, hunt, trap, and all kinds of ways to get food. I hope some of you watched my trap videos. That will come in handy. If you put up about ten of those, then you’ll probably catch something once a day if you put them in the right spots. I should do a trot line video, but I dont have a local body of water to go to that is private and substantial enough. Read your survival manuals and it will tell you numerous ways you can live off the land.
Sevandor on 07 Dec 2009 at 7:20 am #
To be honest, america woulf be in for a really tought time. Canada would be the best off. 1)Yes we have stricter gun controll than you , but ber capita we have more guns, and more ammo. 2) we have a lower population which means less zombes, 3) we are more spread out, which meanse lower consentration of Zs, and 4) in winter with our -22 degree fearenheight (-30C) the zeds would be frozen solid in winter giving us a chance to regroup
Ronin666 on 07 Dec 2009 at 8:14 am #
I have no axe to grind with America,I have a lot of US friends and have visited the country numerous times. I do have several axes and other sharp objects to grind with under-informed fanatics who think they are somehow a supreme being because of the geography of their birth. It’s extreme mouthing off like that that gives Americans a bad rep world wide, just the same as the drunken Aussie gives us all a bad name world wide.
When the shit hits the fan it doesn’t care what flag your flying.
3-15 INF on 07 Dec 2009 at 9:03 am #
Damn, Sevandor, did you just cut and paste my comment? I mean REALLY!
3ID on 07 Dec 2009 at 4:46 pm #
i think america will the just as messed as ethiopia or the Congo or even Europe it does not matter that we have weapons it is the know how to use them and america is falling down that slipey democratic slope the best country to be during the Zombie outbreak is antarctica
I wonder what a penguin would taste like?
3-15 INF on 07 Dec 2009 at 7:13 pm #
Wow was that good enough to post twice? I love my country too, but I gotta be realistic- half of the reason I love it is that i live here. I certainly love all of the countries I have been, regardless of the differences I might have with their politics. Italy is an amazing country and their people are fantastic, despite their politics, which I’m not really fully aware of anyway. Just a really cool culture and country. Gotta live there for a while someday. And I feel that way about all the places Iv’e been. Even Iraq. I like iraqis, even though I have killed them in combat. Hope they get their shit together. Anyway, no reson to hate others who don’t live in america,… except maybe the french. Yeah, the french haha
sean on 07 Dec 2009 at 11:43 pm #
survival depends on more than just how many guns you have guys….
everytime this topic is brought up it turns into the same basic argument,i’d like to see more creativity on this site than
“oh boy i can’t wait till the zombies come so i can murder them all”
Angryvikingman on 07 Dec 2009 at 11:49 pm #
Hey, i try and put forth some knowledge of how to survive with my trapping videos. like ive said before, i wish we could do a skills camp during the summer. that way i could pass on some knowledge first hand. its hard to explain some things, when showing is twice as easy. forgive the no caps, im posting from my phone…
Stephen on 08 Dec 2009 at 1:49 am #
I think the problem is that you’re saying that that people who are Americans will survive whereas I read your title and was talking about the country of America and how that’ll survive the zombie apocalypse. I think that people will do just fine in small groups but those small groups aren’t necessarily going to be America. A lot of them will end up being “The Republic of Dave”, “The Kingdom of Bob” etc
I think that mistaking people for zombies are pretty likely tbh, who said anything about everybody carefully judging their targets before shooting? There’s freaking zombies out there! They’re eating people. You’re not talking about action movie people who snipe with icy calmness, you’re just talking about regular folks with guns trying to survive. If you think someone might be a zombie you’re just going to shoot them, it’s safer for you. That also ignores the fact that some people are going to be going around attacking survivors anyway — if you think someone’s a bandit you’ll want to shoot them before they get you.
KillerB, I personally wasn’t talking to you in my comment. I was leaving a comment about the post. kthxbai
3-15 INF on 08 Dec 2009 at 10:57 am #
Whenever the system falls apart, and the controls that are emplaced by society and/ or the government collapse (ie, welfare, law, police, utilities, food distribution), people will often sink to their own personal base motivations. Thinks such as selfishness, revenge, and hate will rise to the surface. There are always those that can’t wait for things to go to shit so they can do what they deep down always wanted to do anyways. All societies, in truth, are just a short time away from Somalia or Iraq.
Those areas of the world, large or local, that depend tremendously on the benefits of a large, all inclusive and intrusive government will be utterly and completely decimated. Those that have retained much of their control locally will have a much better chance. The question on whether America would survive as a nation or as individuals at all will depend on whether or not we relinquish that control to an ever growing federal and global government. The farther away the governers are from the governed, the more they are doomed.
Armsdealer on 08 Dec 2009 at 12:44 pm #
Rule Britania!
Okay, so we don’t have a shed-load of firearms to choose from, but we do have rifles and shotguns to choose from as far as the local country store goes.
Not the worst country to be in, sadly being an Island nation doesn’t make it a fortress anymore. Too many planes and boats and the channel tunnel ruins it for us. Only thing being an island nation does is make the populance more violent than any other nation, football hooligans anyone?
“Every man’s home, is his own castle”
3-15 INF on 08 Dec 2009 at 4:39 pm #
That’s funney, Michael Moore is always telling us the US is the most vilolent. That’s refreshing, Armsdealer.
Caleb Hader on 08 Dec 2009 at 8:23 pm #
I think that for the most part I could survive alright, I mean here in Oklahoma, after running out of cans, there’s a lot of corn, soy, and wheat fields, not to mention with fewer people, buck would be on the menu, Pretty open spaces, it’d be easy enough to make a sod fortress outside a small town and we have plenty of resources for gun ownership, I plan on getting a class 3 license, and a conceal and carry as soon as I’m 21. and I might either buy some flechettes, not load em’ just yet, because that’s super illegal, but keep em’ on hand for when wrol comes around.
KillerB on 08 Dec 2009 at 8:35 pm #
@3-15 NIF Well Said brother well said.
Sharpshooter on 09 Dec 2009 at 2:55 pm #
honestly i think we would survive the aftermath only for a short while. when society was (for all intensive purposes) broken down and it was anarchy we would just start killing each other. which would largely reduce our population (obviously)
Caleb Hader on 09 Dec 2009 at 9:40 pm #
Meh, I dunno, I’m not so sure that it would be like everyone came down with anti-sociable disorder just because of zombies. Do I think that there would be a lot of killing over supplies? ya, but I don’t think that meeting up with survivors would be a “keep a quick finger” affair, especially after a while when zombies became another part of life.
Adam on 10 Dec 2009 at 11:22 am #
I’d disagree with the idea that America would be the *most* likely to survive, but it’s definitely higher than a lot of countries.
And to support that, I would offer these examples (in no particular order)
1) Mongolia: As well as having an active military dealing with pirates, it has a population density of 2 people per square kilometer.
Though it’s proximity to larger areas like china or india would be a problem.
2) Australia: A large island. It can grow enough food to feed it’s entire population (I doubt if it does, but it is possible), it’s isolated from most of the world. A lot of houses are built to withstand hurricanes and such, and quite a few houses in the outback are on stilts to avoid poisonous animals. Population density: 3 people per square kilometer.
3) Russia. As well as their winter, which so far has prevented anyone from succesfully invading them, they have quite a lot of disused military equipment lying around, courtesy of a paranoid government without priorities. I’d imagine since their country is in such a state at the moment, the general population could probably survive without much government guidance. Population density of 8 people per square kilometer.
To put the population density (which in my opinion is one of the most important factors) into perspective, the UK has 254 people per square kilometer. The U.S only has 32 people per square kilometer, but shares a border with mexico (55 people per sq kilometer).
So to summarise, if you live in the UK like me, you’re fucked.
Ronin666 on 10 Dec 2009 at 3:57 pm #
Adam, actually the houses are on stilts to avoid floods, with the poisonous animals we just throw empty beer bottles at them. :)
McLuvin on 10 Dec 2009 at 7:38 pm #
Adam, I like your thinking. You are on the right track looking at population density.
I think another statistic we need to look at however, is how well dispersed that population is.
If my memory serves, Australia has the majority of it’s population in several large coastal cities.
The central part of the continent is largely devoid of humans. I think the majority of Australia’s population would suffer the same fate as America’s large city dwellers. I would like to see the numbers on Iceland and some other less populated countries.
Sharpshooter on 11 Dec 2009 at 12:55 am #
Well all in all I generally think we’d all be pretty SOL in the event of the apocolypse. We can sit here and type what we’d like to do on the internet but I’m willing to bet that most of you here havn’t done shit in real life.
Sharpshooter on 11 Dec 2009 at 12:56 am #
With the exceptions of a few of course.
3ID
AngeryVikingMan
Kain
jsut to name a few who i have no doubts have done prep for this.
Ronin666 on 11 Dec 2009 at 2:09 am #
Your correct McLuvin, most of our population live on a narrow strip down the east coast as I do, fortunately for me I’m in one of the less densely populated areas of the strip . I can be in rain forest in under 20 minutes. I don’t think it matters where you are in the world, a city is gonna be a bad place to be when the zeds come knocking.
McLuvin on 11 Dec 2009 at 3:18 am #
Sharpshooter, I wonder where you and your buddies got all your zombie killing
experience.
You are correct though. I talk about it on the internet but I have never actually seen a
zombie, let alone killed one.
I feel like such a fraud.
Angryvikingman on 11 Dec 2009 at 4:38 am #
I’m pretty sure that he meant:
Have a pack full of survival gear
Have at least some experience in the bush(not saying you don’t)
Have weapons
Have trained with the weapons (some even have combat experience)
My only combat experience is paintball, BB gun wars, Battlefield 2, and Call of Duty, but I do have manuals that I’ve studied that will help in the event I find myself in the heat of battle, or in a survival situation. What is it they tell you when you go into combat the first time? “Remember your training.” Because until you experience it first hand, you don’t know jack shit.
I guess as far as combat goes, I don’t know jack, but survival I have years of experience with. Listen to people like 3ID, KillerB, and 3-15 INF about combat and weapons. They’ve been in the shit, and are alive to tell the tale. I have buddies that are Iraq/Afghan War vets, and everything they say, I file away for later, because you never know what might save your ass. Speaking of which, my buddy Fatman is going for his 3rd trip to Iraq. That poor bastard has spent so much time in war zones its insane. He did 1.5 years in Afghanistan, 1 year in Iraq with the 82nd Airborne, went back for a year as a civilian contractor, and now is going back the 3rd time for another year with the national guard. He likes to joke that now he’s “In the rear with the gear”, but knowing him, he’ll be in the middle pulling guys out of burning Hummvees, or picking insurgents out of rolls of concertina wire like his other trips to the endless beach.
I really respect you guys that put your asses on the line in the armed forces. I don’t care how much we argue on here, I’ll buy you guys a beer any day.
Sharpshooter on 11 Dec 2009 at 2:47 pm #
I meant actually practice, it’s all nice to say “oh i’m gunna do…..” and then enact your plan. But that’s just talk, anyone can talk. I’ve realized it’s much different when in actual situation. Recently i had someone break into my house and i didn’t have a weapon on hand, and he did. Stairing down the barrel of a 9 millimeter pistol is a scary thing. I’m still rather confused about this, i had plans, i had guns and ammo, hell i even had a machete in the same room as the guy holding me at gun point. But the machete was behind him and i couldn’t get to it. I’ve been out of practice lately I’ll admit, but i should’ve been able to do SOMETHING.
Even if you practice every day you can’t ALWAYS be prepared, something unexpected will happen and throw all your plans down the drain.
Adam on 11 Dec 2009 at 6:15 pm #
Well, since you asked:
Iceland-
Population density: 3.1 per square kilometer.
Total population: 316,960
Hand guns are banned, anyone over twenty can get a hunting liscence and purchase a rifle/shotgun.
Iceland freezes over in the winter, so there’s another bonus (average temp -10 degrees celcius)
Ready for the big drawback?
Iceland has NO military forces. (http://www.nationmaster.com/country/ic-iceland/mil-military)
Ronin666 on 11 Dec 2009 at 7:34 pm #
Now there,s a good topic for discussion, we all know cities are a bad zed battlefield but what sort of geography/climate/enviroment would you choose if you had the choice?
McLuvin on 11 Dec 2009 at 8:13 pm #
Adam, thanks for the Iceland info. I actually look at the lack of a military as a good thing.
I think when the Zombies come the military will be just as screwed as everybody else.
In fact they may do more harm than good trying to relocate survivors and sweeping through towns pulling people out of bunkers that were perfectly safe and well stocked. If i had any way to get there with my gear quickly after the outbreak Iceland would be a great destination.
Andy on 11 Dec 2009 at 11:08 pm #
My 2 cents
Americans have not only the fighting spirit to survive,we also have the spirit of invention. I admire the cultural contributions of Germany, Italy, China, and Egypt, but for the last 200 + years, nothing comes close to matching American achievment and exceptionalism. Everyone should be proud of their country, be a patriot to some degree, but the facts remain. America discovered, invented, or perfected all of the following:
Electricity
The Automobile
The Personal Computer
The Television
The Telephone
The Internet
Flight
Refridgeration
Space Flight
Bourbon
Now go ahead and make your list of things has done that are BAD, and match them up against the above mentioned things you all enjoy. I’ll wait right here.
America loves and protects the world that hates us.
Angryvikingman on 12 Dec 2009 at 9:22 am #
Well, as I was trolling through cheaperthandirt.com, I happened to stumble across this:
http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/DLX30DAY-1.html
It contains:
* Eight boxes of 10 masks per box with respirators to protect against airborne viruses, bacteria, dust and prevent moisture build up.
* One, survival book written for the U.S. Army and details survival techniques, natural foods, fire and cooking techniques, first aid, and more.
* Four, deluxe Sterno kits; each kit contains a 6″ folding stove, two 8-ounce cans of Sterno fuel that last 2 1/2 hours, six 9 hour mini candles, and one 60 hour pillar candle.
* Two, Water Bob 100 gallon bladders with siphon pumps.
* Two, five gallon camper’s shower.
* Two, ceramic filtration systems; filter up to 300 gallons of water each per hour, includes filter, filter sock, and spigot.
* One, propane heater/cooker, requires disposable propane cylinders.
* One, solar powered multi band and short wave radio with cell phone charger.
* Two, collapsible five gallon water jugs.
* 360, MRE complete meals, three meals per person per day; includes a variety of hot entrees and side dish, a snack, condiments, drink mix, and an MRE heater.
* Four, volcano stoves that includes an insulated bottle with a cork lid, winged handle canteen cup, and a wing handled vented stove.
* 120 Light sticks.
* Two, magnesium fire starters.
It all costs a whopping $3,249.97, and comes on a pallet.
Can you imagine a whole pallet of crap like this being delivered to your house? LOL!
Well, if you’re only one person, and this PALLET of stuff is designed to take care of 4 people for 30 days, then you could last 120 days! All you need is a water source, toilet paper, power, video games, and you can survive the apocalypse in style. Get 3 and you’re good for a whole year! Wonder if they have a discount if you buy more than one?
Angryvikingman on 12 Dec 2009 at 9:27 am #
They also have a more basic version:
http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/BASIC30DAY-1.html
Its only $2,399.97.
Dave on 12 Dec 2009 at 2:59 pm #
America! Fuck Yeah!
Dave on 12 Dec 2009 at 3:31 pm #
Andy, I LOL’d.
Electricity – Briton (though Franklin is arguable since brought it to consumer)
The Automobile – US contributed nothing (you may be confusing Ford’s great invention: mass production)
The Personal Computer – US, undisputed. Unless you want to talk about just “computer”…
The Television – Baird, Briton in Britain
The Telephone – Bell, Briton in America (disputed)
The Internet – Lee, Briton in America
Flight – Wight, Briton in Britain (disputable, other British and French conributions – I assume you mean powered flight)
Refridgeration – Briton in Britain (disputable)
Space Flight – Russia
Bourbon – this is like claiming to have invented Californian Wine.
Of course, inventions are often incremental. Deciding who “invented” something is usually a case of trying to figure out which of many people made the most significant contribution.
There is also the argument of the man vs. the organisation, and so on and so on. Personally I don’t think country is particularly relevant, Baird for example was born and educated in Scotland but obtained US citizenship (also spending much time in Canada) and stated “I am not one of those hyphenated Americans who claim allegiance to two countries.” If you really want to admire a country for invention, China wins.
Andy on 12 Dec 2009 at 6:48 pm #
Point taken, Dave, but remember I said invented, discovered, or PERFECTED. I’m claiming NORAD on the internet, unless the History Chanel lied to me, The Wright Brothers and Lindburg win in my book for flight, and I’m pretty sure Russia’s space program was first, but I still say America perfected it- and yes, I remember the Challenger explosion. Ford’s contribution to the automobile was very important, because it made the technology available to everyone. I do claim Franklin for electricity, but let’s not forget Edison, either. As for China, I can’t think of anything they’ve come u with in the last 200 years….but I’m willing to be corrected.
Ronin666 on 12 Dec 2009 at 9:23 pm #
don’t forget China invented the cheap look-alike.
Shrap Electronics
Noke running shoes
Cald Steel knives
just to name a few!
It’s actually scary to think that if China suddenly stopped producing and exporting the world would be in deep shit. What’s worse is they are now sub-contracting out the really crappy stuff to Pakistan.
3-15 INF on 13 Dec 2009 at 12:27 am #
The exceptionalism that America has always had was the fighting spirit inherited from an amazing warrior heritage. We are slowly losing that as a population overall. I’ve always thought, all along, that this talk of training, planning and surviving a zombie apocalypse is easily applied to surviving any social meltdown, including civil war. Lord of the flies, baby, survival of the fittest. The pigs may roast on the spit, so to speak.
That’s what always happens when the controls that keep Mr. button down khaki in line melt away. I’ve always assumed one other thing- that most of my rifle platoon and I would end up being one of the most feared elements in the area, for sure. I’m one recall roster away from having a 35 man death squad at my disposal, armed to the teeth. Some of you guys are talking about linking up with 1, 2 or 3 people. I would link up with possibly dozens within an hour. Beat that.
Angryvikingman on 13 Dec 2009 at 3:28 am #
I could only muster a dozen at best, and only a few that could match the fighting capability of any one of a battle ready/battle tested group. Although, I could arm them to the teeth. I have a lot of guns, but two of my friends have enough guns for any ten people. So, we could arm a dozen with primary, secondary, and sidearms. Also between us, we have enough ammo to account for almost every person in our town. Not that we could field any more than a capable 4 man unit. Gotta leave the noobs with a few experienced folk to protect the “base”. When the shit hits the fan though, I’m calling 3ID & 3-15 INF, and hoping like hell that they show up. (if I may)
Ronin666 on 13 Dec 2009 at 4:28 am #
As for having a 35 man death squad at my disposal, I frankly have no intention of fighting zombies in that way or any other. Time and decay are on my side,the only time I’ll be taking on zeds is when I absolutely have to get something I really need and then I’ll still use stealth and mobility rather than fire power and brute force. The rest of the time I’ll be hiding out in the rainforest, living off the land, more than likely I’ll be solo, why? because everyone here always figures they will be the leader of the team, so will everyone else, with no law other than that of “might is right” killings and beatings over leadership/ownership of territory and supplies/women will be common, you(you not meaning YOU in particular but in the more generic sense) will end up at war with each other as well as the zeds as society returns to being tribal, I have no intention of being part of any group, my intention is to survive.
Unless they are running zeds you hardly need a military unit to shoot fish in a barrel, if they are running zeds we are all screwed no matter how fit, trained or well armed we are.
jay on 13 Dec 2009 at 6:32 am #
SearchInventors
HomeBusiness & FinanceInventors
EmailPrint InventorsBasicsIntellectual PropertyHistory & BiosSee More About:britishfamous inventorsBritish Inventions A-Z
The following British inventions are defined as having been made in the United Kingdom or made by a person of British citizenship. We are placing together inventors of English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh origins (pardon to those of you belonging to separatists movements.) It should also be noted that the British inventions named will include inventions that have been invented in other nations i.e. computers, cars, or steam power and are not necessarily exclusives or firsts.
A Anemometer – Robert Hooke
B Disc Brakes – Frederick William Lanchester
C Tin Can – Peter Durand
Cat Eyes – Percy Shaw
Portland Cement – Joseph Aspdin Cordite – Sir James Dewar, Sir Frederick Abel
Corkscrews – H.S. Heeley
Crossword Puzzles – Arthur Wynne
D Depth Charges Diving Equipment/Scuba Gear – John Smeaton, William James, Henry Fleuss
E EKG (Underlying Principles) – Various
Electric Motor – Michael Faraday Electromagnet – William Sturgeon
F Fax Machine – Alexander Bain
G Gas Mask -John Tyndall and others
H Dew-point Hygrometer – John Frederic Daniell Holography – Dennis Gábor
I-K Internal Combustion Engine – Samuel Brown
Jet Engines – Sir Frank Whittle Kelvin Scale – Lord William Thomson Kelvin
L Metal Lathe – Henry Maudslay invented the first in 1797.
Lawn Mower – Edwin Beard Budding
Lightbulbs – Humphry Davy, Sir Joseph Wilson Swan, James Bowman Lindsay Locomotive – Richard Trevithick
Power Loom – Edmund Cartwright
M Little Nipper Mousetrap – James Henry Atkinson
P-Q Penicillin – Alexander Fleming
Penny Farthing – James Starley
Periodic Table – John Newlands Periscope – Sir Howard Grubb
Polyester – John Rex Whinfield and James Tennant Dickson
Puckle Gun – John Puckle
R Radar Locating of Aircraft – Sir Robert Alexander Watson-Watt
Radio (Underlying Principles) – James Clerk Maxwell Rubber Bands – Stephen Perry
Rubber Masticator – Thomas Hancock
S Seed Drill – Jethro Tull
Seismometer – James Forbes
Seismograph – John Milne, Sir James Alfred Ewing, Thomas Gray
Sewing Machines – Thomas Saint
Shrapnel – Henry Shrapnel
Steam Engine – Thomas Savery, Thomas Newcomen, James Watt Steel Production – Sir Henry Bessemer
Submarine – William Bourne,
Spinning Jenny – James Hargreaves
Spinning Frame – Richard Arkwright
Spinning Mule – Samuel Crompton
T Television – John Logie Baird
Thermos – Sir James Dewar Toilet Paper – British Perforated Paper Company
Torpedo – Robert Whitehead 1866
U-V Umbrella (steel-ribbed) – Samuel Fox
Universal Joint – Robert Hooke (also Iris Diaphragm, Balance Spring) Vacuum Cleaner – Hubert Cecil Booth
Viagra – Peter Dunn, Albert Wood, Dr Nicholas Terrett
W-Z Wacky Inventions – Arthur Paul Pedrick
Waterproof Fabric – Charles Macintosh World Wide Web – Tim Berners-Lee
and the list is endless
3-15 INF on 13 Dec 2009 at 4:19 pm #
The best defense is a good offense- stop the spread as quickly as possible- brutal, quick, violence of action is the only way. Waiting around will only ensure that you’ll be one of the last to turn, not ensure it from happening at all. So many here have this defeatist attitude that all is lost if an outbreak occurred. There has been at least a 60/40 opinion on this site that they would hunt out the infected before they had a crowd of 10,000 outside their doorway. Procrastination does nobody any good. I would be a leader, btw, since I’m already their leader. I counsel them, promote them, train them, and take care of them already. My platoon would definitely get some time on CNN before the power cut off.
3-15 INF on 13 Dec 2009 at 7:22 pm #
this argument over who invented what is retarted and beside the point- thread jacking at it’s best- I keep looking up these claimes you guys make and google doesn’t back it up. Sorry I’m not an expert on who invented what, but who gives a shit? How does any of that mean you’ll survive a cataclysmic catastrophe? I mean really!?! If anything, a good memory on how things USED to be will help you, not NEW tech!
Ronin666 on 14 Dec 2009 at 3:31 am #
retarded is the word you were looking for. (spelling Nazi sorry) and yes, who really cares who made what when we all know Chuck Norris invented everything.(that’s a joke btw)
If you were at ground zero some quick action might solve the problem before it got out of hand but round these parts there is no one except Constable Plod with his Glock and 2 spare mags to do anything about it.
Having shot with the Plods,I know the zombies are in little danger. Army? They aren’t home, by the time they got back from Iraq, Afghanistan and Indonesia it would be way too late.( a really determined boy scout group could invade this country at will) Nope, I’m headed for the forest and safety. Knowing our government they would try to disarm the public anyway or gather everyone in one place for a zombie buffet while Plod shot himself in the leg.
3-15 INF on 14 Dec 2009 at 4:55 pm #
all true- use whatever are your advantages- plus, don’t you guys have a crapload of small inhabitable but isolated island within boat ride distance? I remember hearing of islands in the south pacific that japanese soldiers held out for yeeeeaaars.
Ronin666 on 15 Dec 2009 at 2:15 am #
lot’s around but hardly a boat ride away,more like a ship ride away. Not much in the way of fresh water on them, if there is , they are inhabited. I think the islands you refer to are up further north the other side of Papua/New Guinea. They were still finding soldiers from both sides in New Guinea 30yrs after the war, of course you have double trouble there, the natives will eat you whether they are zombies or not!
Cdn on 16 Dec 2009 at 11:40 pm #
As far as survival goes, I think that the largest parts of Canada would NOT do well. Yes we have a low population density on average, but realistically 90% of our population is within 100 miles of the US border. The zeds would certainly take much of the great lakes area on both sides of the border.
Farther north however, where the would be no reason for zeds to bother to congregate I actually know exactly where I would go, know some people off the electrical grid that would do quite well.
3-15 INF on 17 Dec 2009 at 12:35 pm #
Where do you live in Australia exactly?
Ronin666 on 18 Dec 2009 at 4:21 am #
South east Queensland
3-15 INF on 18 Dec 2009 at 9:26 am #
Oh wow you are really near the jungle
Adam on 18 Dec 2009 at 11:10 am #
New post by me, since there seem to be very few new articles.
More statistics! big fun, right?
Quick note, please bear with me if any of these are incorrect/out of date/ hard to compare, I’m mostly using the internet and my college library.
1. Greenland
-It’s an island (albeit a big one- in fact, it’s the worlds largest non-continent island)
-Population density 0.027/km^2 (lowest in the entire world)
-Freezes over in winter, spring, autumn and most of summer (-9 degrees celcius to 7 degrees celcius annual average)
-Mostly below sea-level and covered in a thick ice-sheet- watch out for that post-apocalypse global warming, you might wake up one day with wet feet
-No roads between cities :(
-Many, many fjords- may limit movement of both survivors and zeds
-Total population- 57600, of which about 18000 live in nuuk, the capital city
-The Government of Greenland does not currently have control of Greenland’s military or foreign affairs, they are all controlled by denmark. Which could be good or bad, since denmark will probably be a little busy xD
-For some reason, I’ve had a lot of trouble finding gun ownership laws/stats for greenland, so if anyone wants to chip in? I’ll just assume they’re illegal, since it has a very low rate of murders by firearms.
Adam on 18 Dec 2009 at 11:44 am #
Whoops. Forgot I had more countries to add :L
2. Falkland Islands
-There are two main islands, East Falkland and West Falkland, as well as 776 smaller islands.
-The total land area is 4,700 square miles (12,173 km2), which is slightly smaller than northern ireland
-Estimated 800miles of coastline, so maybe not very secure from the sea-hordes
-There are some lovely mountain ranges in East and West falkland
- There are also lots of boggy areas :(
-January averages about 11°C, with average daily high of 14°C, while July averages about 3°C with average daily high 4°C
-Snow is rare, but can occur any time of the year
-Doesn’t, therefore, freeze over.
-The population is 3,140
-Depending on the source, between 18,000 and 25,000 land mines remain from the 1982 war. These are split into either 101 or 117 mine fields.
-Population density 0.25/km^2
-Once again, am unable to find gun ownership laws/stats :( Possibly the same as the UK, since it’s still a part of the Empire ;)
3. Norway (Original source of Angry Vikings)
-Is kind of tenuously connected to the european mainland, but could very easily be isolated.
-Mostly surrounded by the sea
-Population density 12/km^2
-has rich resources of gas fields, fish, hydropower, minerals and forests
-Total area of land is 385,252 km^2
-Population estimate: 4,848,474
-More fjords (see greenland)
-Contains thousands of tiny islands
-much of the country is dominated by mountainous or high terrain
-Plenty of animals to eat, but watch out for polar bears and brown bears!
-The Norwegian Armed Forces currently numbers about 23,000 personnel, including civilian employees.
-Strength during full mobilization is approximately 83,000 combatant personnel.
-Norway has conscription for males (6–12 months of training) and voluntary service for females
-Hydroelectric plants generate roughly 98–99% of Norways electric power.
-Norway has large numbers of civilian gun ownership
-Norway has a large population of hunters. Semi-automatic and bolt action rifles, as well as Shotguns, make up the better part of the guns in civilian homes.
-There is a total ban on automatic weapons for civilians, unless they fall into the collector category.
-Modification of semi-automatic guns into fully automatic without the consent of the police is a felony crime.
-A recreational shooter is only allowed to own four different handguns.
-To be allowed to own a gun, you basically have to take up sport shooting or hunting. Self defence is not an accepted reason, nor, i doubt, is zombie apocalypse :)
4. Niue
-is an island nation in the South Pacific
-Total population: 1,398
-total land area- 269 km^2
-Density: 5.35/km^2
-Island practically surrounded by coral reef, so unexperienced, fleeing refugees probably won’t make port
-Island has a diameter of about 18km
-Is very near new zealand, so no freezing here.
-Has a lot of renewable energy (about 85% of power)
-Large agricultural section
(I’m assuming it has the same gun laws as new zealand here)
-Restricted Weapons include machine guns, selective-fire assault rifles, grenades and rocket launchers.
-Licensing is required for most guns including pistols and military style semi-automatics, but any other kind can be owned without registration (but a firearm license is needed)
-Suffers from tsunamis more often than I might like, but whatever.
Dave on 18 Dec 2009 at 2:01 pm #
I think in surviving the zombie apocalypse key factors will include:
- regional population density
- level of domestic travel (speeds domestic spread)
- ease of severing domestic travel
- tourism (speeds international spread, assuming incubation period)
- ease of severing international travel
- reliance on infrastructure & trade (e.g. electricity, transported foods)
- quality of healthcare and population attitudes (i.e. how long until diagnosis made; swine flu thought to have gone on for some time in Mexico before discovery)
But there’s also a couple with major pros and cons:
- weather cycle:
PRO: Z’s wont last long in a cold winter
CON: makes survival much more difficult once they’re gone
- gun ownership:
PRO: survivors have personal defences
CON: survivors fight amongst themselves, panic
- effectiveness of government in major emergencies:
PRO: obvious
CON: controversial point perhaps, but consider that in a worst-case scenario no government is likely to have any chance stemming the tide. Therefore, any partially successful measures may result in merely prolonging the infection period
Applying that to the US for example, the US has a high population density on the coasts, cities that have very high domestic and international travel which would be extremely difficult to control. Despite relatively good healthcare (CDC) and government effectiveness the cities would likely be decimated extremely quickly. Any survivors would be further hampered by strong reliance on infrastructure (coping poorly without mains power, water and food imports).
The central states may fare better but due to the level of travelling I suspect the cities would still fall quickly. Provided the incubation period is quite short many small towns and villages may do quite well, however. Rural areas in particular will benefit from local food and water production, reduced reliance on infrastructure (heating from oil tanks/gas cylinders, personal generators), prevalence of firearms (and training in their use e.g. hunting). However in the case of a long incubation period travelling may still lead to fairly high rate of infection and there would be less government effectiveness.
Ronin666 on 19 Dec 2009 at 4:53 am #
New Zealand would also be a good place to be. More sheep than people, (I hope you like lamb and mutton), a good deer population, good rain fall, cold winters especially in the south island. More liberal gun laws than a lot of places, lots of big moari boys to fight off zeds. Thermal areas to supply heating in some areas. Good trout fishing in fresh water, good fishing and cray fishing on the coast line. No poisonous critters around either.
Adam on 19 Dec 2009 at 7:09 am #
I actually think that the best country to survive in is dependant on the individual’s plans. If your plan is an active defence of a well fortified area, you want a country with lots of gun stores and ammo dumps. If you want a more passive, hiding in a bunker type defence, you want a nice quiet isolated area somewhere with lots of wildlife and a longe range of vision. Same with national energy dependancies- If your plan involves a safe place with it’s own energy generators (ie, solar panels/wind turbines/whatever), it really doesn’t matter.
As far as the spread of infection goes, I’m not gonna kid myself. No country will be able to completely isolate itself. By the time they acknowledge the infection, it will be too late to close international travel, and limited regional travel will be a handicap if your plan involves raiding surrounding buildings.
I’m thinking once it happens, it’ll be every man/group for themselves. I don’t know about the in-fighting though. yes, if people were trying to rob my supplies, I’d kill them, but if someone comes up and asks me for help, I’d give them food and shelter and whatnot. But they’d have to spend two weeks in isolation in case of infection.
I’d really love to be able to commandeer a tv station. I’d have my own show called “Zombiewatch” which would be like a weather report.
“And it looks like a large horde of zombies in the southeast, and a few scatterings across the north, but mostly there will be little change”
So yeah, when the time comes, check your television sets ;)
Angryvikingman on 19 Dec 2009 at 1:06 pm #
LOL! A web show would be better, assuming that there would still be internet.. Wonder how long the grid would last with no one to maintain it? Since a lot of our regional power is hydroelectric, I wonder if the flow rates are computer controlled, or manually controlled. Thats something that I guess I need to look into.
Adam on 19 Dec 2009 at 2:56 pm #
The “grid” consists of 3 main stages- generation, transmission and distribution.
Stage one involves the power plants. Obviously a nuclear power plant wouldn’t last without constant maintenance, and after a day, maybe two it would most likely shut down on the computers automatic safety protocol. Fossil fuel power stations, assuming they weren’t shut down when the apocalypse started, would likely last until they run out of fuel. Which would be quick. Since the fuel is no longer being harvested, it’s not being piped to the power stations and therefore the station, which stores very little, will shut down. Assuming there isn’t a mechanical failure first.
Most renewable power stations should last a lot longer, probably until a mechanical failure of sorts. Most renewable stations are automated, going directly into the transmission stage.
As far as transmission is concerned, it will work so long as the cables are there. However, it’s highly likely that some of the pylons will be damaged by idiots in cars, helicopters and tanks, and weather would get some, and maybe even some crashing planes. One severed cable could cut off power to an entire city, if it’s in a bad place. Luckily, a lot of cables are underground. Pylons don’t require much maintenance at all.
Distribution involves substations which convert the electricity to a lower voltage. Since the transformers are normally integrated into pylons, the substation can be damaged and the electricity still functions. generally the substations are for corporate use so they can be sure you don’t get power if you don’t pay your bills. From the substation it travels along the little poles, hundreds of which will probably be felled by careless driving or fires. Generally, each pole will only suffer a mechanical problem once in 50 years.
So in conclusion, the US would lose 20% of it’s power almost instantly, followed by 71% within a week or two. Since the remaining power would be even distributed (because computers hate you), odds are that the remaining 9% would be pretty insignificant. That’s assuming your location is still connected to the grid.
This is based on about half an hour’s research, so I could be wrong. Also, it varies on area. I’m not sure if the U.S has a national grid like the UK, or if each state has it’s own grid.
If you’re serious about it all, best to get your own generator.
Statistically, one wind turbine and a few solar panels generates more than enough electricity for an average family of 4, and you can buy/assemble those turbines yourself. Though it might be easier to have someone else do it, what with all the wiring. And even if the apocalypse doesn’t happen, you can end up with a negative energy bill. Again, not sure about the U.S but in the U.K the government has to pay you for any excess energy you produce and add into the grid.
Adam on 19 Dec 2009 at 3:01 pm #
Also, as far as I can tell everything is done automatically by computer but monitered by people. So feasibly it should keep going, but I’m not sure if there’s more to power station worker’s jobs than that. Anyone here ever worked in one?
Adam on 19 Dec 2009 at 3:20 pm #
Sorry to post three times in a row, but just felt like saying that the internet wouldn’t last long. Once the power goes off, the servers will switch to back-up generators. Fine. great. But if the power is never coming back on, eventually those generators will run out, and the servers will all shut down. Caput. No more internet.
Unless one of you lovely Americans would like to capture the google headquarters and smuggle their servers back to your fortress?
3-15 INF on 23 Dec 2009 at 2:18 pm #
Well I kinda disagree with Ronin that the US won’t be a major player in the future. Don’t count us out for the count just yet. Yeah recent trends have been abismal for our country, but there are a lot of looming problems on the horizons that many EU countries are facing, and Asia has scary prospects also. Freedom, economic prosperity and global influences are things that have to groomed constantly and not taken for granted. The world will always have crisis’s to deal with. Not everyone of them means the end of the world. In fact, so far, none of them has.
FallenKnight on 10 Jan 2010 at 9:38 pm #
You guys forgot Finland:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simo_H%C3%A4yh%C3%A4
And Switzerland has an assault rifle in nearly every home, as well as someone qualified to use it.
All you guys saying America is awesome because it’s America, that’s Nationalism, not Patriotism. Although you’re welcome, Rest Of The World, for not having to learn German, twice.
Angryvikingman on 12 Jan 2010 at 5:16 am #
I’ve mentioned that about switzerland before. Was a Loooong time ago, but yeah.
Joe Caligari on 26 Jan 2010 at 4:00 pm #
This is an excellent thread. The right to bear arms will protect the U.S. against the zombies, but who’s gonna protect us from the other folk bearing arms who want our arms? And water, and food…. Right to Bear arms is a double-edged sword, amigos….
yer lovin’ Joe Caligari
CorrodedGear on 17 Feb 2010 at 1:44 am #
Screw this… Texas. Go there. We have our own independent energy grid, more guns than people, and even most city boys know how to at least use one to some degree of shittiness. Btw when food starts to get scarce… we have nearly more cows than people too. Have fun dying ya’ll. :)
north dakotan on 27 Feb 2010 at 12:11 am #
i would probably stay right where i am or head farther north in to canada. even though i live in the third largest city in north dakota (still not saying much though) with something like 60,000 people i think we could do pretty good, especially in winter, where on average its like around zero which actually isnt all that bad i would walk to school in pants,sweatshirt, and a pair of gloves and be just fine and happy. unless there is windchill, which depending on the speed and current temperature can make it feel 20 degrees colder than it actually is. and in the spring the usual flooding could wash any zombies away without people around to stop it, if there was enough snow.but there always is. anyway i would rather prefer instead of guns, use melee weapons such as swords, knives, axes, baseball bats and maybe unconventional weapons in emergencys. sure keep like a pistol with you though. or use a bow and arrow not that hard to fire and can be reloaded relatively quickly if your skilled at it. but you have to be pretty good with it to hit a zombie in the head (which might not even go through enough, so maybe the eye or the spine) but if you use melle weaponsonly take on like one or 2 zombies at a time and have backup, atleast they dont need ammo.