A zombie apocalypse, like any other emergency situation can be survived provided the right preparations are taken. Zombies as we know them from the movies may seem unlikely, but aren't scientifically impossible, if the human brain could be modified to need something other than oxygen and nutritional sustenance, an advanced parasitic virus could well seemingly raise the dead, and could conceivably animate the body for several months before the muscles and tissue rotted away to the point of being unusable.

To survive a zombie attack the most important things to remember are to have somewhere to retreat to, have plenty of weapons, both projectile (guns, bows etc) and melee (swords, blunt instruments, bats etc). Choosing a suitable place to hideout for what could be a long time is of paramount importance. Ideally it would be somewhere with no ground access, as zombies cannot climb ladders or similar equipment.

The katana swords are a good choice because they are lightweight and durable as well as being able to cut through bone easily where things such as broadswords are very heavy and might get stuck in a zombie, which will leave you helpless if there are several to fight off. Pistols are good for close range head shots, as well as sniper rifles for longer range warfare, and silencers are also always preferable as they will stop as many other zombies form hearing your shots being fired as they would do with a normal weapon.

City areas are best avoided, as they will have the highest concentration of the undead, and will be under constant attack, as well as being the first targets for other survivor groups. A generator is also a must, as well as a backup system, preferably manually operated so power never goes out, and food etc can be kept for longer.

Several months food at least is a must, as well as a water recycling machine for rainwater. So somewhere such as your own house upstairs with the stairs collapsed preventing entrance to the upper floor without a ladder or an easily fortified building such as a warehouse with off ground offices is a good place to start when choosing somewhere to hide out.

Doing what a lot of people might and fleeing through an urbanized area to the nearest police station or army base is a bad idea, as these are the first places that people will run to when a crisis breaks out, and they will soon become overrun with both people fleeing to them and subsequently zombies. Even if after an initial attack they are still operational, the massive numbers of people that will find their way there are unsustainable in terms of food available and evacuation operations, so its best to avoid these places altogether.

Once all these things have been attained you should be able to hold out for as long as necessary, killing any zombies from an impenetrable high vantage point as needed. Remember however that non detection is preferable to fighting, so picking off zombies needlessly from great distances will only serve to attract more of them, and most will pass by after a cursory search for prey if they cannot easily detect anything.

It may seem to be a lot of fun in the movies to fight with and kill zombies, (and it almost certainly is). But its not always safe in most cases unless you are sure that they are definitely on their own and that you are definitely going to win. Otherwise you could be quickly overwhelmed by their superior numbers.

Learn more about this author, Scott Heritage.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about How to survive a zombie Apocalypse?
We want to hear your view. Write now!