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Discussion: Cities and towns: How big is too big?
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disom |
Cities and towns: How big is too big?
Nov 2 2011, 7:37 AM EDT
| Post edited: Nov 2 2011, 7:39 AM EDT
I know most people on this site plan on getting out to a remote location at some point after Z-Day because staying in a city is a horrible idea. If you can't get to your BOL for some reason or if you don't have one, going to a smaller city or town might not be such a bad thing. Which begs the question of how big is too big?Obviously cities like NYC, Chicago, LA, Baltimore, Atlanta and any other large metropolitan areas are out of the question. But what about smaller cities or towns with populations under say 20,000? I feel that most people in these areas would flee or try to flee, leaving plenty of supplies behind without there being a ridiculous number of Zeds. Starting over in a small town or city would be easier than having to build from the ground up. If you wanted to hole up or start over in a city or town, how big is too big? Do you find this valuable?
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zombiezlayer |
1. RE: Cities and towns: How big is too big?
Nov 2 2011, 9:01 AM EDT
| Post edited: Nov 2 2011, 11:42 AM EDT
The little town I live outside of and work in is about 7500 folks. It has several hardware stores, small grocery stores, convenience stores (gas stations) and even a super walmart. It seems even the small towns are not safe from the tyranny of walmart lol. There stil would be tons of Zeds, but with a small group, and a good plan it might be feasable. I would still want to avoid walmart, and I would rather be at my house outside town, but if I got trapped at work for a few days I think I could do it. But I wouldn't want any towns much bigger. Lol
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PedroAsani |
2. RE: Cities and towns: How big is too big?
Nov 2 2011, 10:14 AM EDT
How big is too big? How many bullets are you carrying?Every member of the population has a chance to be a zombie. Depending on how you view the percentages of dead/survivors/zombies will show you just how many bullets you will require for that town. 40/5/55 means that 20,000 is 11,000 zombies strong. You have 1,000 survivors in the group, so a kill count of 11 each will do. 20/0.5/79.5 means the 20,000 is 15,900 zombies strong. You have 100 survivors in the group, and need a kill count of 159 each. 10/0.1/89.9 means the 20,000 is 17,980 zombies strong. You have 20 survivors in the group, and need a kill count of 899 each. Work out your dead/survivor/zombie percentages for your zombie archetype as applied to the world. Then apply them to your town. I use a 7 billion population, and expect a fair mix of dead and zombies, with a 0.1 survivor rate. A true global apocalypse, but it still leaves a population equivalent to 4,000 BCE. The thing to remember is that you are at risk of a Swarm or even a Chain Swarm from towns much further away than you might think. If you don't have a BOL pre-Z, then you need to pick a place you can grow enough food, get enough water, AND transform into a fortress using post-Z technology levels. Not an easy thing to do. Do you find this valuable? |
Frag-12 |
3. RE: Cities and towns: How big is too big?
Nov 2 2011, 7:10 PM EDT
You want to stay away from cities that had huge human populations because they will surely outnumber your band and perhaps surround you. There are other methods to scavenge in the big cities but it will be highly risky such as having a bait team to lure the outside hoard away. You will still have to handle what remains behind or inside the structure. Freeways leading away from big cities will most likely be dangerous if zombies follow the herd (hoard) mentality. Currently in the The Walking Dead Comic and TV series, the world's undead population outnumbers the world's living population 5000:1 or 5000 to 1. You want to even up or surpass the odds as much as possible and develop tactics to clear roads (such as bait vehicles, traps, etc) and structure clearing techniques using a boom box, RC vehicle, bait dog, or whatever. Right now it is pretty hard to determine the exact risk because we do not have all of the variable so maybe Pedro estimations is what you should go by since his professional back ground is Business Continuity\Disaster Recovery and statistical analysis comes with the job.
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Oakspar77777 |
4. RE: Cities and towns: How big is too big?
Nov 2 2011, 7:55 PM EDT
I agree completely with PA. A longstanding pillar of survival has always been to have more bullets than neighbors. I live in a COUNTY with around 12,000. I have about twice that many rounds. If you are going to be in a city, you need to know that your fortifications can hold off a hoard the size of that city's population (hopefully, not necessary, but you should be prepared). You also need to have a stockpile of ammo that could handle that hoard. So, lets say you live in a two story cityhouse in a town of 25,000. If you have a 30,000 round stockpile, plenty of food, the materials to fortify the downstairs, the ability to cut off the upstairs completely, and the willingness to shoot everyone you know and love - then you should be fine. City survival also comes with an increased risk of fire if the buildings are nearby (and not spready like many of the cities here in the south). Do you find this valuable? |
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disom |
5. RE: Cities and towns: How big is too big?
Nov 2 2011, 8:41 PM EDT
The reason I like the idea of staying in a small town or city is that the infrastructure is there to start the rebuilding process. Also, the amount of supplies left behind from people and businesses would make things easier.However, it would depend on the survivor to infected ratio. I feel that in a place of 20,000, most would be gone before the infected showed up, unless things started there. So, there should be a "favorable" ratio. The chain swarms factor makes finding a small enough place harder though. Ideally you'd want to find a city with small suburbs or suburbs of a small city. Trying to defend either would pose quite a challenge. Do you find this valuable? |
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Oakspar77777 |
6. RE: Cities and towns: How big is too big?
Nov 3 2011, 4:28 PM EDT
How much infrastructure do you believe you will need? How much would remain useful (not water, sewer, or electric)? What resources would remain? How many people would survive to exploit those resources?The resources most cities will have left are (1) cars, (2) materials in the form of buildings, (3) obsolete items, (4) unpillaged loot. Think about what you will actually need. A city is a fine place if you are looking to score 300 car batteries for a solar system. A bad place to look for food. Also, many small towns will "fortify" themselves (blockade roads, etc) before the infection reaches them. Do you find this valuable? |
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disom |
7. RE: Cities and towns: How big is too big?
Nov 3 2011, 9:13 PM EDT
"How much infrastructure do you believe you will need? How much would remain useful (not water, sewer, or electric)? What resources would remain? How many people would survive to exploit those resources?I guess i'm thinking more long term when it comes to having the infrastructure to start over as a society. With enough people and the ability to fortify a small city, utilities could become somewhat functional again. It is my belief that most people would flee, only taking some food and other necessities with them; leaving quite a bit to scavenge for. Buildings are the greatest resource being left since they cannot be moved. A group of 25-50 could start to fortify sections of the city, all while scavenging. The fact that small towns would fortify themselves brings up an interesting dilemma when trying to decide where to start. Do you find this valuable? |
speedybobneville |
8. RE: Cities and towns: How big is too big?
Nov 4 2011, 2:13 AM EDT
Anywhere where people are working together and are mobilised with a plan beats a go it alone plan. Working with your neighbors is the first step to protecting your neighborhood. You don't want to over extend yourself , but that needs to be followed up with teaming up with surrounding areas and consolidating the safe defendable area that is a functional town. Sweep and secure, and remember that there is strength in numbers. No sense trying to defend something you cant cover.
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