Zombie Defense (part one, what you need)

A zombie defense is a place in where you can live and defend against constantly attacking zombies keeping you safe on the inside. There are many variations of this some being better than other. One thing that is common to all defenses is you are in a place where zombies aren't and will have trouble getting to. There are also a few different types of zombie defenses including long term defense, hasty defense, and snap defense. There are different uses for all of them and you could also horrible defense to defense types considering a horrible defense is a type of defense, but it doesn't work making it horrible.

When trying to establish a long term location you are going to want to take things into consideration that you would not quite think about with a hasty or snap defense. One thing would be replenishing food and water. Without food and water you won't be able to live so having a long term plan of obtaining food would be very important. The other is a very sturdy defensive position fortified to the max.

Defense setup

Location is everything with a long term zombie defense. You’re going to need to choose a place that is both livable and defendable. If you don't have a combination of the two it will not be a good spot to set up a long term defense against the ever persistent zombie masses. A good example of a place that its livable and defendable would be a two story department store. These buildings are usually made of a long lasting material like brick or metal so they are strong and will not need too much maintenance over the years. These are also good places to start because they already have a lot of supplies. Granted if you have a couple people or alone an entire department store is a little much to handle but we are assuming we have a group of 8-12. Anyway, once you have decided on the place you can start reinforcing. In my opinion the best way to start is to just gather all the supplies you can to the top floors and then completely block off the downstairs. If there is a weak point where eventually something gets threw it will 99% of the time be on the bottom floor.

In order to start reinforcing you will need to start with the most important things first which are the immediate threats. Immediate threats are doorways, windows and anywhere that a zombie can just get right in. These should be seal up so good that you can't even get back out of them. The best way to do it would be using boards, screws and nails or if it’s a metal door and frame, to weld it shut. Once all of the doors and windows are blocked up you want to do a once over on the place and make sure all the passages leading upstairs are all blocked off in the same manor. You pretty much want to seal onto the upper floor of the building with only way in or out being by ladder or something from the roof or window. Once you have the building sealed off enough as to where nothing can get in you need to work on the upper defense.

The upstairs defense will include posts and protection against climbing. With posts you will want enough so that every area outside or your defensive position is covered but few enough as to where you don't need too many people to man them. Usually 2 or three posts can cover an open area if the posts are elevated and have no obstructions blocking its field of view. At first you just need a basic spot designated to stand but eventually you will want to build a roof for the posts and wind protection because if you have ever stood any post before it’s the elements that really put a hurting on the post stander. As for protection against climbing, this is a defensive measure not so much for zombies but to control travelers from trying to climb in and steal anything. Remember zombies are your main threat but desperate people can become another one. Barb wire makes good anti-climb protection by stringing it all along the sides of the building making climbing nearly impossible. Another good thing would be fixing chain-link fencing all around the top of the roof creating sort of a lip which prevents the person climbing from getting up and over it.

Just remember that a defensive position is never perfect and improvements can and should always be made and constantly inspected and improved on.

Another very important part of survival is your food and water plan. Let’s face it if you are not prepared yet for some sort of apocalyptic time you’re probably not going to make it very far. Having a small bag with a few things in it to grab once the stuff hits the fan wouldn't be a bad idea. Things such as lighters, medical supplies, batteries and SEEDS! No one ever things to keep seeds in those "Zombie Survival Kits" but it's a good idea too. How easy is it you just bucket up some soil and put it on the roof of the building and start a vegetable garden? Sure it takes a lot of time but I'm sure if you are still around by the time it starts to produce vegetables you will be very glad you did. Plus gardening will give you something to do on those days that just never seem to end. The water issue is easy. All you need to do is set up large tarps at an angle that lead down into buckets to collect rainwater. You will not want to drink that water directly do to bacteria but you can make shift a quick filter using a bucket with holes at the bottom and three layers inside consisting of sand then charcoal then sand. After you filter the water boiling it is the last step before it is safe to drink.

Most of your food sources will come from searching the surrounding area or canned and non-perishable foods you had with you. Every situation is different when it comes to obtaining food so hopefully yours is plentiful.

The Last thing you have to think about when it comes to a long term zombie defense is to not lose your mind and whoever you are with you treat them like family because in this situation people will panic and say and do things they normally wouldn't. Letting things go with the people around you will ensure cooperation and willingness to work later on down the road without conflict. Also, no idea is a worthless idea. Everyone in the group should have some sort of say when pooling for ideas because they may be thinking of it differently than you.