How long until society falls apart after Z day

white_falcon

Curious to see what people think about this.

If...or rather when Zday comes, there will be survivors. People will leave their work and run off to try and survive etc.

Once people leave work, important infrastructure will break down fairly quickly - ie. power stations etc.

That means lights off, no power in houses etc. after a certain period of time. On a larger scale it also means that things like communication over the net will start to break down - the power to the servers that keep places like boards up and running will eventually fail and no more communication over the net - granted it may take a while.

Wonder how long it would take for all this to happen?

Spike440

There was a great documentary on Channel 4 recently about what would happen if humans were to disappear tomorrow. Power would go in 4-6 weeks except in the area surrounding the Hoover Dam, which is fully automated and would keep going for several years.

Interestingly, London would be mostly underwater in a matter of days because it's underground system constantly pumps up water. Without the pumps it would flood.

As for Ireland, the power would be gone fairly shortly. It would take only a few months for flora to take hold of the towns and cities. Dogs would apparently take over quite quickly but they might be killed or turned depending on how the Z-day causing agent affects them.

The internet would be gone with the power, along with broadcasting capabilities. So any survivors' message being broadcast over the radio/TV/internet would ne going out for long.

Food would rot aswell without refridgeration so supply runs would have to focus on freeze-dried and tinned goods.

I think if you're talking about a global pandemic, society would be pretty much gone within 6 months tops.

Grizzly 45

Seven days before this highly organised,interlocking society goes down.
Thats even without any Z attack.

MarkHall

Yeah I'd say a Week without regular law and order is all it'd take before I stake out my claim to this here Island.
I think Great King Overlord Hall Esq has a nice ring to it.

SimpleSam06

48 hours. Thats how long before the food runs out. After that, its anyone's guess.

Musashi

Stephen Kings' "The Stand" gave a good feel of what a total breakdown could be like.

I think some would still be able to communicate for a good while. I'd be looking at the Father In Laws HAM radio and a portable generator to make contact with any other survivors.

We would be back to frontier style living in short order, guns=power and subsistence farming would be the main food source but would have to be carried out under armed sentries to protect farm workers. Armed gangs of pillagers would have to be met by an armed village response force.

It would Rock!

Grizzly 45

Dunno if it would Rock!I personally dont fancy my missus doing dental work on me with a hand drill by oil light.:eek: Or dying from sepis from a gut shot. Or puking your guts up from botulism poisioning from a well off can of Spam!
Z fighting or lets call it what I think alot of us wont call this forum.Survivalism and prepardness. It will be a very nasty,uncomfortable and FATAL busisness if you are not prepared properly.
Think about this,will you spend more time in this life drinking water or doing off hand 50 metre pistol shots???If you said water,wouldnt it be prudent to know how to find and purify this vital life source..This FANTASY of duking it out with other groups or Zs for whatever is not going to be pleasent in reality.It was one of the big failures of the survival groups in the US in the 80s that they relied too much on guns'n knives and cammo,rather on having skills like how to hunker down and covertly grow their veggie gardens etc.It gave them a very bad PR image,and the survival movement is only now coming out of this wilderness[excuse the pun] post 911 due to the fact the sheeple have woken up to this fact that the govt cant protect you all the time.
Lets think more rationally as to what you do need to survive the Apoclaypse or the Z invasion.After all did Will Smith or Charlie Heston spend all their times in their respective films shooting Zs?
If you want some really good books on The End of The World As We Know it [TEOTWAWKI]. with a Z theme

I suggest 48 by James Herbert.A sort of Alt ending to ww2 in London told by a USAF pilot.

Last Light for how quick society [UK]will fall apart.

The White Plauge by James Herbert [of Dune fame] Set in Ireland a DNA plauge is released.Get over the sterotypicasl Irish chacters.It isnt half bad.
Does give you an idea what might be more important after the Zs come and go.

Capt'n Midnight

lots of societies have fallen apart because of wars and people still functioned

or maybe the governments know something and the whole global warming is a way of getting us to agree to more renewables for when the time comes

or maybe the Mormons know something is up - but in the interests of preparedness here is the list
http://www.mormonwiki.com/Food_Storage

For one adult for one year it is suggested that there be 400 pounds of grains, 60 pounds of legumes, 16 pounds of powdered milk, 10 quarts of cooking oil, 60 pounds of sugar or honey, 8 pounds salt and fourteen gallons of water (this amount of water will only last two weeks)
...
The three-month supply would include canned soups, boxed cereals, and other grocery store items. Another program involves creating a 72-hour emergency kit http://lds.about.com/od/preparednessfoodstorage/a/72hour_kit.htm[/quote

http://www.onebag.com/ - so you have one bag ready when you need to travel

yeah the red cross know something is up too
http://www.redcross.org/services/prepare/0,1082,0_91_,00.html

Musashi

Dunno if it would Rock!I personally dont fancy my missus doing dental work on me with a hand drill by oil light. Or dying from sepis from a gut shot. Or puking your guts up from botulism poisioning from a well off can of Spam!
Z fighting or lets call it what I think alot of us wont call this forum.Survivalism and prepardness. It will be a very nasty,uncomfortable and FATAL busisness if you are not prepared properly.

I know what it is Grizzly, and going by your posts you do as well. I grew up loving the 80s Survivalist thing, went to the woods with my pocket contents a few times. Of course I had means of making fire and a sharp knife so i was ahead of the game. Knock up a brush shelter, try some traps (never a success), do some fishing ( much better success rate) get the fire on and have a brew. It's called "Bushcraft" now, but was our survivalism, Ray Mears is still the kiddie though!

I like Zombie forums as they let me get ready for natural disasters and freak weather without the old connotations of "Rambo" etc. Most people find it amusing, not realising that they are part of "the Zombie Menace".

One only has to look at New Orleans to see how bad it can get and fast, the police were as much the problem there as the solution. I'm relying on myself and laying in supplies a bit at a time. I need a larger store shed and a way of rotating out older stock, more lamp oil and trade items. It's a work in progress

Grizzly 45

[

quote=Musashi;57094824]I know what it is Grizzly, and going by your posts you do as well. I grew up loving the 80s Survivalist thing, went to the woods with my pocket contents a few times. Of course I had means of making fire and a sharp knife so i was ahead of the game. Knock up a brush shelter, try some traps (never a success), do some fishing ( much better success rate) get the fire on and have a brew. It's called "Bushcraft" now, but was our survivalism, Ray Mears is still the kiddie though!

Ahhh,hail Brother survivalist!And here 's me thinking I was the only weirdo knocking about here in Ireland in the 1980swho had this stuff on my mind.:D:D.Yup,been there seen it done that as well.Bushcraft indeed,I call it living pretty miserably in the woods.:D.It's good to know,but I dont think I would want to spend the rest of my days doing it either.

I like Zombie forums as they let me get ready for natural disasters and freak weather without the old connotations of "Rambo" etc. Most people find it amusing, not realising that they are part of "the Zombie Menace".

Aint that a fact.Rambo a survivalist???Righhtttt,and Hillary Clinton is running for president of the NRA!:DStill if it gets people thinking along the line of prepardness,then it is a good thing.

One only has to look at New Orleans to see how bad it can get and fast, the police were as much the problem there as the solution. I'm relying on myself and laying in supplies a bit at a time. I need a larger store shed and a way of rotating out older stock, more lamp oil and trade items. It's a work in progress

[/QUOTE]
Oh yess indeedy! I had a mate of mine down there in the cleanup and 1st response security gaurds.Pic of him somwhere in his waders,combat chest rig ,Glock and M4 gaurding a building in New Orleans.:D Things to learn from it;
When ****e happens,you will be on your own,Do NOT got to Govt approved shelters[Ala the Dome].Have at least 72hrs of emergency supplies for you and yours,and remember to look pitiful for the cameras and blame everyone else for your mess except yourself.:rolleyes:.
Work in progress,relying on yourself ,couldnt agree with you more.:D


Re Capt Midnites list.
Old survivalist joke...Whats the most basic survial prepardness you need??Answer A shotgun and a list of all the Mormons in your city.:D:D.
Although I wouldn't recommend trying that in Utah.The Mormons have a well developed survivalist mentality,exellent groups and shoot back as well with great accruacy.:eek:

Musashi

I don't kow any Mormons but I am licensed to have a couple rifles. I may get a shotgun to even things out, something like a Bennelli will eat any load I feed it and come out smiling!

I dunno why more Zombie folks aren't gun folks also? Maybe we'll see an increase as America did when the chips fell?.

Any members reading now, get a gun and ammo, then get more ammo. I am not being funny or ironic, get a gun while you can and stock up on ammunition for it! It's a great hobby to have, a source of free range meat and a good skill to have come Z Day!

thefinalstage

Musashi wrote: »

I don't kow any Mormons but I am licensed to have a couple rifles. I may get a shotgun to even things out, something like a Bennelli will eat any load I feed it and come out smiling!

I dunno why more Zombie folks aren't gun folks also? Maybe we'll see an increase as America did when the chips fell?.

Any members reading now, get a gun and ammo, then get more ammo. I am not being funny or ironic, get a gun while you can and stock up on ammunition for it! It's a great hobby to have, a source of free range meat and a good skill to have come Z Day!

The reason is that any sensible survivor knows that a gun can be used against them as quick as the z's.

Grizzly 45

Nah!Get A mossie or Remington,They are cheaper and tougher than that Italian thing!

Capt,SENSIBLE Survivors know HOW NOT to have their guns turned against them or know how to learn weapon retention techniques!:)

EamonnKeane

I wonder if travellers would be better adapted than us "settlers"? Their society based on tribal affiliation would be more useful in a post-apocalyptic world. They are better fighters, know the terrain of the country better, have weapons, horses and due to the crime careers of "a certain number" would loot more efficiently. Could they establish a Mongol-style nomad empire?

cyberwolf77

I say 48hrs until anarchy reigns supreme over much of the planet.

Kromdar

when the sewage plants stop working.

fans. they will be hit.

dara95

man! there is no way we would last longer than a month! order would be lost after 3 days and the amount of looting and rioting would be astronomical!!

food sources would have been wasted in about 3 weeks and those who havent been killed by humans would be devoured by zombies!!!

Depends on where you're living. I reckon that Irish society would disappear fairly quickly.

There are books written on the subject of how long it would take for nature to take a hold / take over again (e.g flora / fauna in cities, breakdown of infrastructure, etc.) which I must dig out and post the titles up for all those interested.

Kiith

We'd never run out of power with zombies around. Just make giant zombie wheels and have people sit/stand near them. Zombies walk/run (depending on type), turn the wheel, and viola, constant energy. That way we'll never be without boards.ie

cyberwolf77

Kiith wrote: »

We'd never run out of power with zombies around. Just make giant zombie wheels and have people sit/stand near them. Zombies walk/run (depending on type), turn the wheel, and viola, constant energy. That way we'll never be without boards.ie

How do you propose getting the zombies into the giant hamster wheels in the first place?

Lockstep

EamonnKeane wrote: »

Could they establish a Mongol-style nomad empire?

:eek::eek::eek:

Kromdar

we'll need a schitty wall!

DAMNED MONGOLIANS!