Surviving The Next Apocalypse

Way back in August 2009, I wrote a small piece on Zombie Apocalypses  .....

ATM's Stop During A Zombie Apocalypse

.... and the scientists who used it as an analogy for pandemic spreads etc ....

Little realising that the Western worlds fascination with zombies, and idea of their suddenly bursting in to existence and attacking us all, would still be the subject of scientific studies a decade or so later.

In 2018 it was reported that according to a survey by the streaming service NOW TV (commissioned to celebrate season nine of The Walking Dead), nearly 25% of British people have plan to survive the zombie apocalypse (when, not IF, it happens). I really can't believe these sorts of surveys, but they are consistently commissioned, and often have consistent results.

So, there are apparently around one in six of those surveyed who have considered putting together a survival kit, although whether this idea is caused by the thought of an actual Zombie attack is doubtful, more likely its fear of the collapse of our society due to civil war, or a post nuclear (or biological attack) world.

However, IF it was 'Zombies', then they believed it would start in New York City, and then somehow spread to London (via, Flying Zombies?) as we in Britain would stupidly allow flights from the USA .... hmm.

When asked, the respondents said that any survival pack should include food, water and weapons, a first aid kit, tampons, water bottles, torches and matches/lighters .... but even so, at least 1 in 10 thought they may only be able to live for a week in a post-apocalyptic world. I am not surprised, the list they suggest wouldn't keep you alive for more than a couple of days, where's the tent, warm clothing, waterproofs, sturdy hiking boots, a cooking pan, spare batteries, can opener, a small portable (non digital because they eat your valuable batteries) radio, a proper game knife, and sleeping bags?

But you can't keep the scientists out for long, and Lewis Dartnell, a professor of astrobiology at the University of Westminster was asked by NOW TV to put together a list of tips on how to survive an attack (by any source). These (plus a few extra tips) are below ....

Short Term - Survival: Head to a camping store for supplies (money no object), flash that credit card while its still usable, after all card systems will collapse with electricity gone, and so probably will the card debts. So if needed, get that warm clothing, especially waterproofs, camp-fire and gas, and hiking boots. Buy plenty of iodine tablets to purify natural water once the taps run dry. 

Get out of the urban areas as quickly as possible using a car GPS device instead of smart phone maps – phone signals will die when the power grids go down. Urban areas will tend to concentrate populations of the infected ('Zombies' or other pandemics). Also water, gas and electricity etc will soon break down or run out ... houses will attract looters and bad people.

When out in the countryside, initially you may be moving frequently and lightweight tents are practical, but long-term, try and find traditional buildings with fireplaces and wells or a stream (central heating has gone along with tap water). A seaside region near a large wood is your ideal new home, offering you access to a wide range of natural resources and possible foods.

There are some tricks, such as knowing that chapsticks, vaseline and hairspray are all great for helping get a fire started in difficult conditions (An unravelled tampon makes an ideal dressing to stop a wound bleeding, and it’s perfect kindling for starting a fire). If you forget your tin opener, grind the top of the can in flat circles pushing down onto a paving slab. You’ll quickly wear away the thin metal lip and get the lid off.

Apart from the game knife, a small hatchet or woodcutting lock blade would be useful to get fuel .... weapons (if needed) should be improvised from what's available at the location.

As for the Zombies, apparently the average person believes they could avoid being bitten by zombies for just over nine weeks. But you’ll never survive the apocalypse as a 'lone wolf'. There’s safety in numbers, but be careful who you pick as friends ... there will still be bad guys around.

Medium Term - Living: A large plastic bottle is a must. If it’s summer, disinfecting drinking water by simply leaving it in the sun for a day can become a regular part of your routine (the UV rays kill any germs: a handy trick known as solar disinfection). Boiling it afterwards seals the deal.

Typical Water Filter

Remember that if no Iodine available from chemists etc and its winter: You can cut the non opening end off a plastic bottle then create two small hole near the cut (to hang it via string/nylon cord), or  cut it about a third of the way from the end and stand it inside the cut off section.

Then shove a handful of grass or *sphagnum moss if available in it, then a handful of charcoal, then another handful of grass/moss, then sand, then more grass/moss. Pour water in the bottle and let it filter through, repeating this until water comes out clear - then boil. There are variations on this but the principle of filtration is the same.

*sphagnum moss can also be used as a sanitary product for women or wound covering as well, as it has anti-bacterial properties as well as soaking up liquids like a sponge.

Long-term: Defeat the Zombies (or more likely survive the illnesses and radiation), and restart civilisation in small sustainable farming communities

Initially you can scavenge food from abandoned shops, supermarkets or distribution centres. Prioritise canned food that will keep for years, but that will eventually run out or become unsafe if the apocalypse has brought down civilisation.

The power grid will be out, so scavenge a mobile generator from roadworks. But when the diesel runs out, you will need renewables so scavenge solar panels from house roofs etc or small wind turbines. 

You can trickle charge batteries and the best kind of rechargeable battery is a deep-cycle lead acid battery. You scavenge these from things like golf buggies. A golf course is often one of the most practical places to head for after an apocalypse.

Sanitation and water will be priorities, as illness and wound infection will now become a real danger (think middle ages), So always dig your toilets at least 15 meters away from your water source, and always downhill from the water source and habitation.

Wash your hands. Soap can be made from scratch by soaking water through the ashes of burned seaweed (that's why you moved near the sea), to extract soda, and then reacting this with slaked lime (made from roasted chalk or limestone) to make caustic soda. Boil this with lard, or any other animal fat or plant oil, to make soap. Dental care - there are no options except pulling teeth in the new world order, so keep away from sugars, and brush regularly to try and keep gum disease and cavities to a minimum (ancient Egyptians etc often died in agony as a result of tooth infections). 

If you injure yourself, attend to the wound immediately. You can disinfect with grain alcohol and then close the wound with super-glue. Whilst finding metal implements shouldn't be problem, as stainless steel will still be everywhere .... flint knapping is still a very useful skill to learn (flint is sharp enough to make surgical knives, arrows and even shave with).

Life expectancy will fall quite dramatically, so marrying young and having lots of babies, many of whom will die under the age of five, will become the norm again. In 1850 in England and Wales, life expectancy at birth was 42, but as over 25% of children died before the age of five, for those who actually survived past age 5, life expectancy actually rose to around 57.

Odd Fact: Once the refined fuels have all disappeared, cars can be adapted to be run using wood as fuel. The process is called ‘gasification’ and was common during the Second World War so you may see cars or small trucks puttering about, if the world ever starts to recover.