Answering your emails, part 2

I promised those of you whose interest was piqued by my assessment of Pittsburgh as a geographic stronghold for zombie attack a more thorough look at Chestertown's zombie resistance.  Last week, I asked you to bear with me while I gave it a good think.  And here's what I've come up with.

Is Chestertown a good place to withstand the zombie apocalypse?  Yes and no.

Not the answer you were looking for, I know.  

Many of the things about Chestertown that provide challenges for those trying to survive are also things that one in a city situation might actually wish for.  Chestertown is exceedingly flat, and has very few tall buildings - the tallest you'll find is about 3-stories high.  No basements.  Fewer places to hide, but at the same time an exceedingly tall building isn't going to help you much (all it's going to do is trap you), a basement is always a bad idea (no exit), and the flat could provide you with a better shot across a long distance.  On the whole too many windows, but enough scrap wood to make up for it.  The population here is low, and supplies are within walking-distance.  Given these factors, I predict a very high chance of survival within the first 168 hours.  But after that?  If you need to farm yourself back into existence, this is certainly the place to do it, but I'm going to suggest that you find a way to barricade or disable the Bay Bridge.  Why?  Because the dead and diseased hoards who couldn't survive it out in Baltimore, D.C., and Annapolis will be heading this way soon and, even worse, those living souls who escape across the bridge will be coming to take your land, food, and resources.  There's also no easy route to get off of the Eastern Shore to the east.  Delaware leads to the Atlantic ocean, and the south of the E.S. is swampy.  Going North to PA is your only real option, and that way could easily get blocked if you didn't head out in the initial 72-hours.  

So, in short, yes - you can survive here quite well in the long-run - but you're going to need to 1) disable the Bay Bridge and make sure you have a clear idea of how you'll get off the Eastern Shore the back way, 2) stock pile weapons, vehicles, gas, and ammunition, because not only are the dead coming to eat you, but the living are coming to eat your food, 3) make use of local resources - barbed wire, farm equipment, and seeds - to plan early for the harvest, and 4) team up with those neighbors who have specialized talents to create a band of enough people to survive.  

Basically, the same things you would try to do in a city situation, but with more long-lasting results.

KAB

Comments

[Nick]

Don't forget the survival options provided by the self storage facility.

[Kate]

Thanks, Nick!

To be honest, I'd prefer not to mention that strategy. I think it'll work quite well, and we may need it ourselves, someday!

KAB

[Owen Bailey]

Having been born and raised on the Eastern Shore I can promise you that your best chance for survival is to head towards Kent Island, disable the bay bridge and the Kent Narrows. There is plenty of farmable land on Kent Island, a low population, an easy swim to the mainland, Grasonville, if necessary, plenty of fishing, and there are still some wild life to hunt for other means of sustaining life. There is a K-Mart, a few grocery stores, a few hardware stores, and many other shops that can be harvested to sustain life until the survivors can settle into the new community. There are also plenty of boats and gas stations that could provide travel to other islands around the bay and its many rivers and streams. Did I mention that there is also a gun shop?

ORB