Where to go in case of a zombie attack
Awhile back, because it’s important to plan these things in advance, some friends and I were contemplating where to run to when it becomes clear that the Seattle area has been overrun and the zombie hordes are advancing on our homes.
It seems clear that the best area to avoid the zombies, at least until they’ve chewed on each other enough to offer better odds, is one of the islands in the Puget Sound. But where?
Several people suggested one of the many uninhabited rocks. The problem, of course, is that without food or shelter or any conveniences - and who has time to pick stuff up when you’re fleeing for your life? - the uninhabited islands could become death traps themselves.
I voted for Cape San Juan, the tiny neighborhood at the southeastern tip of San Juan Island, just to the east of Cattle Point.
My reasoning went something like this:
It’s defensible. Only one very narrow approach by land. If we assume that the zombies can’t use boats, then fighting them off becomes comparatively simple. (If they *can* use boats, of course, it’s a whole different ball game.)
It’s sparsely inhabited, but has infrastructure. It’s a neighborhood, after all.
Neighborhood survivors can help with barricades, and supplies can be scavenged as needed.
It has an independent water source, a well. This can be protected.
It’s picturesque. You’re going to need something pretty to look at. Remember, you might be there for awhile.
Needless to say, a small area won’t support a large survivor population. So, you’ll need to find your own place to hide out. Suggestions welcomed.
Bainbridge island is quite defensable if the brige was blown. Also I am by Bangor naval base and would probably go there in case of zombie attack.
Personally, I like the odds of sheltering at Camp Muir. They’ve got some emergency supplies, shelter, and I have yet to see a zombie movie occur in the snow, so I think zombies must not like it very much. From what I can tell, zombies don’t really tend to bundle up, hence I see movies with them in shopping malls and cities.
I also like the idea of holing up in the local pub, like in “Shaun of the Dead.” After all, it works out OK for a couple of them, doesn’t it? It’s worth it to be able to drink during those last few hours.
Personally, I’m knocking over a Cash and Carry for supplies and hijacking a ferry. =) If it’s summer and a weekend, I’ll grab a cruise ship. If I see a nice yacht outside the locks on the way to the ferry, all the better.
Add to the ‘Zombie preparedness kit’: 2 deep sea fishing kits (poles, reels, line, lures, etc)
I’d go to Puyallup. Not even a Zombie would want to go there.
I think an often-overlooked site for holding out against zombies in metro Seattle is the Space Needle itself. Consider: although it’s not terribly high, it’s still byfar the highest thing around. The only access is through elevators which can be disconnected, and ladders which can easily be removed. There is a conference center partway up that can be used as a first line of defense, while the two-three levels at the top of the Needle itself make excellent living areas. With the local rainfall, water shouldn’t be a problem, especially if properly stored, and the observation area can easily be made into an area for hydroponics farming and even small livestock holding for extended stays. Emergency escape would be a snap: just stock a small glider, a la “Escape from New York,” or even string some wires between the top of the Needle an a nearby building like the EMP, whose strange design and reflective surface would undoubtedly confound the undead. A human-powered gondola between the EMP and the Needle would even provide a means to come and go from your centrally-located hidout.
While it flies in the face of some conventional zombie wisdom, with the proper preparation, the Needle could easily be a survivalist’s fortress!
re: The Needle
While it is easily defensible, wouldn’t you think it’s too open to damage from earthquakes?
Not to mention, if a full attack is made against it, the bodies will eventually pile up enough that they’d simply be able to climb up the hill. Sure, it’d take a *lot* of bodies, but, hey, depending on the zombie plague, it could happen. Are we looking at only the recent dead, or are the graves of everyone nicely preserved going to open too….
I’m beginning to agree with Mayor Adam West’s decree that all graves be sealed with concrete to prevent zombie uprisings…. (see Family Guy)
I actually had the idea on my tour of the Needle when I first moved here - it’s actually built really “springy” to withstand 200 MPH winds and massive earthquakes! The wikipedia entry says - “The Space Needle is a tower 184 m (605 feet) high and 42 m (138 feet) wide at its widest point and weighs 9,550 tons. It is built to withstand winds of up to 200 mph (320 km/h) and earthquakes up to 9.1 magnitude, and has 25 lightning rods on the roof to withstand lightning strikes.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Needle
The main holes I see in the Needle Plan are the vast amount of resources you’d need to get up there to begin the colony in the first place (we’re pretty much talking about keeping a box truck stocked with seeds, dirt, etc. in case of an extended stay), and the relative speed with which you’d need to get up there as well. You’d have to hope the outbreak was small to begin with, and that the route to the Needle was relatively unimpeded, and that no one was trying to steal your truck o’ supplies.
The piling of bodies is also troublesome - I’ll try to contact a Needle rep to see what would happen if a massive fire were to break out at the bottom. The easiest way I’d see to overcome that issue is just to burn them, but I don’t know what that would do the structure of the Needle (if the heat might weaken the steel, or even catch the conference room deck on fire!)
Other problem with burning. From what I understand, the human body is incredibly difficult to burn without accelerant. Even with forays out to get stuff, I don’t see lugging enough flammable liquid up to keep the burning going.
Watch out emailing the needle staff re: fires. That sounds like a good way to get a visit from Homeland (in)Security….. I can see the Gitmo interview now.. ‘No, really! I was trying to figure out how to survive zombies!!!’
(But I stand hella corrected on the earthquake front)
All interesting.
Regarding the naval base idea, if it were me, I wouldn’t go within miles of any of the bases. Zombies are bad enough by themselves, let alone if they have access to military-grade hardware.
Zombies can’t work guns. The navy bases are surrounded by bad ass fences and have their own food, water and guards with guns. Not to mention they have ships and helicopters to get out of dodge.
re: Guns
I think it was the seminal work ‘Land of the Dead’ which posited that Zombies are actually semi-intelligent creatures who are able to learn, including the use of firearms, so the theory of guns not being usable by Zombies is, in fact, questionable.
Further, this ‘basic functionality’ of zombies was expanded upon in the documentary film Shaun of the Dead and the card game ‘Lord of the Fries’ from cheap ass games.
=)
Oh, and re: Islands…
Land of the Dead also showed hordes of zombies simply walking under water to cross a protective water barrier, and Dawn of the Dead showed the island safe haven had already been infiltrated by Zombies, but one could suggest that the zombies were already there.
I still feel that an ocean going vessel is the best solution. The biggest issue I can foresee is if the Zombie ‘virus’ is communicable to lower life forms, such as fish. Once that happens, perhaps it is time to simply remove oneself from the equation. =\
Your points about the bases being able to protect themselves are well taken. Still -
If they’re not successful in repelling the zombie hordes, you’re fighting armed zombies per John’s comment above.
If they -are- successful, they’ll probably be trigger happy. What are the odds they’ll actually bother to ask if you’re a zombie before they shoot you full of many holes?
No bases for me. I’m fleeing somewhere a long way away.
Re: zombies and water. Let’s also not forget the film Zombi 2, featuring possibly the greatest underwater zombie/shark fight ever filmed (and as far as I know, the only contender for that title).
If George Romero has taught us anything, it’s that we’ll want to be mobile and in a sparsely populated area. So, it’s east of the mountains for me. Everything else is just a tomb…
Man, I’m a little embarassed that I tok this so seriously. Better safe than sorry though.
If there’s one enduring lesson to be learned from zombie movies, it’s that nobody gets out alive. And if the zombies can walk underwater and shoot guns — well, we just fail to get out alive quicker.
Nevertheless, I’m glad to know other people think about such ludicrous stuff too. Where would I run in case of a zombie attack? Hmm, I’ll have to think about that….
Re: Walking underwater… Perhaps this could be mitigated by making sure that your island is separated from the nearest zombie stronghold by a brisk current. Unless their bodies undergo a drastic density change upon death… I believe my earlier concern about the implosive pressure at depth was dealt with in Pirates of the Caribbean, which, although not generally considered to be at the forefront of zombie research is an interesting data point on the interaction of deep water with dead bodies nonetheless.
You guys? I love you. This is fantastic.
I thought about this some more this weekend, and I guess it comes down to the scale of the outbreak. If it’s minimal, then heading inland would definately be the way to go. If it’s widespread, I might be more inclined to go for one of the islands. The inland route would be bad if winter was coming on, because while zombies might freeze up in the Cascades (not a bad way to kill them, really), so do people, so it would require a heck of a lot of planning.
I guess my final conclusion is that no place is 100% safe.
i agree, no where would be safe, military bases would be ok at first, but then if zombie movies have taught us anything its that no one knows whats going on and why people are biting other people, and there actually would be a safe place, canada, antarctica, as north as possible, its almost guaranteed that most zombies would freeze due to lack of warm clothing
i agree, no where would be safe, military bases would be ok at first, but then if zombie movies have taught us anything its that no one knows whats going on and why people are biting other people, and there actually would be a safe place, canada, antarctica, as north as possible, its almost guaranteed that most zombies would freeze due to lack of warm clothing