More on the approaching zombie pandemic

[rmd]

Now that we've had a poll, how about some discussion.

What should you stock your home with for zombie defense? What about your workplace? If your company doesn't have a Zombie Contingent Business Continuity Plan (ZCBCP), what can you do to help prepare yourself for the approaching zombie pandemic?

How about immediate physical security? Being able to quickly board up doors and windows can mean the difference between life and a painful death followed by an eternity of boring undeadness.

Comments

[bikergeek.livejournal.com]

In Quake I remember the grenade launcher was really the only weapon that was any good versus zombies.

[rmd.livejournal.com]

yeah, but in half life, you can take them out with a well-placed crowbar.

[bikergeek.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't want to get close enough to a zombie to engage in melee combat. Best to take them out from a distance.

[evwhore.livejournal.com]

I think the Resident Evil series would be a more effective training tool.

[solarbird]

This is why part of our plan is immediate evacuation - there's no way in hell to zombie-proof this house without substantial, and I do mean substantial - retrofitting. It's just not happening. Trying would be foolish, so we're hitting the eject button early and often as part of our ZEP.

[metagnat.livejournal.com]

It is true that getting out and getting away is a better plan than not...It's probably better to go for the water and spend a month or two on a boat than to try to hole up, but that's not easy, depending on where you are...

It might also be good to head for the country or anywhere lightly populated, but they still have cemetaries, there, and the dead almost certainly outnumber the living.

It's good to have all your bases covered.

-E

[solarbird]

One of the hard parts will be figuring out what what kind of zombie infestation you have. Are they Romero zombies? If they are, that's pretty much your best case scenario - no swimming, move slowly, and so on. But what if they're 28 Days Later zombies? In that case, your plans change completely! And if they're Return of the Living Dead zombies, then, well, you're just fucked no matter how you count it. It's important - and difficult! Probably the biggest challenge of any good ZEP planning.

[loopback.livejournal.com]

It's worth pointing out, however, that a (modern) cemetary may in fact be one of the safest places you could hide in.

Consider: every coffin is placed in a sealed concrete vault. the liklihood of a zombie getting thru a wood or metal coffin and thru the concrete, and then digging its way to the surface strikes me as very low risk. Add in the (at larger cemetaries) on-site crematoria and you've got a very handy way to deal with any and all zombie parts and not-quite-zombie-yet corpses that arrive.

Best case scenario, you're faced with the 28 days later biohazard "zombie", which will die out on its own in a matter of weeks/months as it slowly starves to death. in high-temperature climates dehydration would likely destroy them even faster.

Worst case scenario is the remake dawn of the dead zombie that's an actual zombie, but can run quickly. Or Land of the Dead zombies that are capable of organization and tactics. In either case, your best plan is to locate a compound that has high security and is wholly self-sustaining, and effectively retire there to die.

Because face it,if the world is coated in the living dead, you're not repopulating your species on the planet, EVER.

[loopback.livejournal.com]

and this, by the way, is yet another mark in the "PRO" column for human expansion into space.

[rmd.livejournal.com]

yeah, but then when you're dealing with horror in space you run the risk of "event horizon"

[loopback.livejournal.com]

Oh no question, but the important point, the CUT of my JIB, if you will, is that once we spread into space, disasters of Event Horizon or Land of the Dead scale will not wipe out the species. There will be dead planets, nay, even entire dead systems, but much like that movie Titanic, the species will go on.

[metagnat.livejournal.com]

It's all about a beating or whapping oriented weapon. You do NOT want to count on a double-barrelled shotgun, unless you also feel comfortable using it as a club. You *will* run out of ammo at an inoportune time. If you must resort to guns, keep more than one about your person. Myself, I favor a cricket bat - nice, wide surface for thwappage plus the length to keep yourself a fair distance from the zombie's mouth.

A chain saw is a nice alternative, but it has a potential power problem and is probably less useable as a club than a shotgun. I'm not sure if the effects of acid on zombies has ever been explored, and it might be worth trying, though it has serious backfire potential if it doesn't work. (Acid-soaked, not quite dissolved zombie comes and gets you in a bear hug.)

So, in terms of weaponry to keep around your home, anything that's club-like is probably best. Something that can be set on fire and burn a long time is probably helpful. Fuels of various kinds, both for cooking with as little light as possible and for torching neighbors' homes once they've been over-run would be good.

In terms of other things to keep in your home, canned goods are probably good - really big ones are preferable, since they could probably also be used as weapons, in a pinch. You also definitely want to have building supplies available. 2x4s, plywood, drills, hammers, staple guns etc. and screws, nails and other fasteners, as well...

I should make a note - some of this can be kept in your basement, but the place to hole up is *not* the basement. Zombies are NOT very dexterous, their advantages are strength, numbers and persistance. Use physics on them. Retreat to the second floor, nail a cover over the opening of the stairwell and put heavy things on it. Concentrate your real assets in the attic, and when you retreat there, do the same thing. Or, better yet, install one of those pull-tab ladders to the attic, drill a small hole in the floor, and pull up the pull part when you retreat.

Definitely keep your food in the attic. Keep extra weapons there. Keep solar panels and charged batteries for power in cooking. Keep extra buckets and things, as well as ear plugs to cover the moaning. In terms of food, backpacking food, dried and canned food are all good. You probably want a range. You want stuff you can eat without cooking & rehydrating as well as stuff you can.

This is where you want packs you can escape with, if you have such a thing. Other good supplies to have:

- knives
- bow & arrows & stuff to do flaming arrows.
- signal flares for when you see the rescue helicopter
- stuff to make a catapult
- zip-line materials, in case the helicopter never comes - this will give you a running start in escaping the zombies around your house.
- definitely rope
- spare clothes
- condoms & safer-sex gear (these experiences are intense & potentially sexy)
- Lots and lots of water.
- Maps that include the locations of local cemetaries & waterways.
- Repair supplies
- Sign making materials - safer than flares in the daylight for attracting the attention of help
- Blank books and plenty of pens. In case none of this works, and all they find is the account of your attempt to survive.

That's most of it...I think waaaay too much about this.

-E

[metagnat.livejournal.com]

Dammit! I forgot large, well-stocked first-aid kit & manual. With all the extra prescription medications you can drum up.

-E

[cz_unit]

Ammo. Lots and lots of exploding ammo.

CZ

[diagonti.livejournal.com]

Don't forget armor. A good set of armor, with a gorget to protect the neck. It'll give you a chance if they get to close.

[deguspice.livejournal.com]

For factual advice on how to deal with zombies, take a look at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ynXBMgLEbM

[lil-brown-bat.livejournal.com]

Good set of Nikes.

[whitebird.livejournal.com]

Yup, surface to surface missiles can be highly effective against zombies! I approve!

[gilana]

I have no plan. I do, however, have Jonathan Coulton's song Re Your Brains that you should really go listen to.

[rmd.livejournal.com]

i love that song.

[andybeals.livejournal.com]

Not a double-barreled shotgun, but a pump-action shotgun, something that you can load while you have it aimed at something. You can also vary the shells at will. It's also a decent club.

But yeah, get the fuck out of Dodge is a great strategy.