Zombies would pose little or no threat

BogMonkey

I've put a lot of thought into zombie invasion type scenarios because they would be great fun but when you think about it, zombies would pose absolutely no threat if you're prepared. Just cover yourself from head to toe in kevlar. Knifes can't cut through kevlar, let alone human teeth. If you suddenly found yourself in a zombie situation though, you're not gonna be able to get your hands on kevlar clothes so you'd have to improvise by wearing leather jacket, leather gloves, a motorbike helmet and 3 or 4 pairs of jeans. With all that, you'd be invulnerable.

degrassinoel

BogMonkey wrote: »

I've put a lot of thought into zombie invasion type scenarios because they would be great fun but when you think about it, zombies would pose absolutely no threat if you're prepared. Just cover yourself from head to toe in kevlar. Knifes can't cut through kevlar, let alone human teeth. If you suddenly found yourself in a zombie situation though, you're not gonna be able to get your hands on kevlar clothes so you'd have to improvise by wearing leather jacket, leather gloves, a motorbike helmet and 3 or 4 pairs of jeans. With all that, you'd be invulnerable.

plenty of ways to skin a cat, virus could be airbourne, you could already have it before you know it, a spash of blood in the eye or mouth, or open cut, contaminated food/animals/water.. would make you an incredibly hard zombie to kill.

BogMonkey

Yeah thats true, I was thinking vulnerable in terms of getting eaten alive by the zombies. Vulnerability to infection is a different matter altogether. If it were a strain of bacteria causing the infection then you could arm yourself with a wide range of different antibiotics but with a virus, you'd be in trouble. Different viruses have different mechanisms of action so in many cases, an antivirus needs to be developed specifically for one class of virus. In reality the people who would survive are the military and government.

On the other hand if a small percentage of people were immune to the virus, then the survivors would be dispersed all over.

Micky Dolenz

The freshly infected would have no bother biting through skin.

One zed, no bother. 10 zeds, still alright. 100 zeds, a 1000 zeds. Numbers and hordes are the issue.

thermo

BogMonkey wrote: »

you're not gonna be able to get your hands on kevlar clothes

you could make a kevlar suit from fire blankets. a good percentage of modern fire blankets are made from kevlar so it would be handy to pick a few up.

Zomg Okay

BogMonkey wrote: »

In reality the people who would survive are the military and government.

The military would be on the front lines during the apocalypse, I think they'd be among the first to go rather than the last. Keep in mind as well that the army would see hundreds, if not thousands, of deserters running off with army issued Steyrs and ammunition to defend their families with. I don't think they'd last as long as you'd expect them too.

As for the government... bah, they're already zombies.

BigDuffman

Zomg Okay wrote: »

The military would be on the front lines during the apocalypse, I think they'd be among the first to go rather than the last. Keep in mind as well that the army would see hundreds, if not thousands, of deserters running off with army issued Steyrs and ammunition to defend their families with. I don't think they'd last as long as you'd expect them too.

As for the government... bah, they're already zombies.

You'd definitely see desertions. But I think as a whole the majority of soldiers would understand the merit in presenting a unified front to contain outbreaks and the need for them to continue working in cohesive units.

I'd imagine the initial strategy would be to clear an area and declare "safe zones". Which would then be protected. Keeping in mind Irelands population density. This should not be a huge issue to establish.

Once their families are in safe zones. They could then continue to operate as per organization and orders.

Footy101

Best thread ever. Mainly for the level of detail in the posts :-)

BogMonkey

thermo wrote: »

you could make a kevlar suit from fire blankets. a good percentage of modern fire blankets are made from kevlar so it would be handy to pick a few up.

You sure thats not nomex? Nomex is a fire retardant polymer that they use in firefighers jackets. Not sure about fire blankets though.

thermo

BogMonkey wrote: »

You sure thats not nomex? Nomex is a fire retardant polymer that they use in firefighers jackets. Not sure about fire blankets though.

the one in the kitchen says it kevlar on the label

Tzar Chasm

Yeah you can protect herself from zonbie bites and zonbie infection to an extent, But your main enemy is going to be isolation paranoia and depression.

Even i n a best case scenario, let's say you have a walled compound with a comfortable dwelling and ample food stocks and agricultural provisions fresh water and access to the sea which enable you and a small bunch to hold out indefinitely (i've just thought of the perfect location here in wexford) there's still an apocalypse on the other side of the compound wall. There will eventually be a horde on the outside moaning and scratching and generally ruining yer buzz.

You may be stocked up on equipment and ready for battle, but are you prepared for the long tedium of compound life, with no internet, no tv and no contact with the outside world except the odd gang of raiders intent on killing you

Whatever about kevlar clothing (my old fencing jacket was lined with it, as I recall... shame that the years have slightly expanded my girth!), you might want to check out this article:

http://www.cracked.com/article_18683_7-scientific-reasons-zombie-outbreak-would-fail-quickly.html

Makes for interesting reading.

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Druss.

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NegativeCreep

Would you not be better off getting infected? You know, an "if you can't beat them, join them" type situation. I wouldn't mind being a zombie really :P

Micky Dolenz

NegativeCreep wrote: »

Would you not be better off getting infected? You know, an "if you can't beat them, join them" type situation. I wouldn't mind being a zombie really :P

Who's saying you can't beat them?

Around here we call people like you, food

666irishguy

Assuming the Zombies are the standard brain-dead variety that shuffle around (or run at best) and can only transmit the virus by bite, they would be royally f***ed if the military could get organised fast enough and recognised the danger in time. If the outbreak was gradually increasing in intensity they would probably have the time to form up large coordinated units with the reserves activated, ammunition stocks distributed and probably anybody with past military experience or police officers given whatever spare weapons there might be to bolster the numbers. They would also probably have a fair few ordinary Joe's with their double barrels or rifles sweeping local areas or acting as rear echelons. You could probably include the cops in the north and whatever resources they might have to spare assuming it wasn't island wide.

Even a small army like ours operating in battalion sized units with reserves and additional help, would easily mow down a huge number of what would essentially be unprotected targets wandering around in the open. I doubt desertion would be a large problem as the soldiers would more than likely follow their orders. There would probably be the odd guy deciding he doesn't want to shoot what would essentially be sick civilians or like has already been stated, wants to get back and protect his own family.

The problem would more than likely be an urban centred one, as the lower population density in the rural parts of the country would help slow down the rate of infection and make it easier to pick off the odd infected group or individual. The hardest job would be clearing places like Dublin and Cork where it would involve systematic searches of buildings and a potentially huge undead population.

If the outbreak was massive and sudden, with the authorities having no time to get a coordinated plan or at best deploy the army in sufficient numbers at the right places, it would be anybody's guess as to how much of a threat they would be. The military would probably kill off every zombie that might appear in the area they are stationed, but it would lead to just a few totally secure pockets in the whole country. Army units in the larger cities would probably be under siege and slowly running out of ammo and supplies, as I doubt for example the army battalion stationed in Cork would be able to effectively secure the city or not end up surrounded by perhaps tens of thousands of undead with not enough ammo at hand to kill them all. Rural areas would fare somewhat better due to distance between population centres and the fact that there might be a higher number of civilians with access to firearms or even agricultural equipment that could double up as effective weapons (I'd would put forward using the combine harvester). :eek:

BogMonkey

Tzar Chasm wrote: »

You may be stocked up on equipment and ready for battle, but are you prepared for the long tedium of compound life, with no internet, no tv and no contact with the outside world except the odd gang of raiders intent on killing you

God help any raiders that tried to break into wherever I'd be held up. I'd booby trap the place so badly that even I'd probably end up getting killed on my way out or in.

ScumLord

BogMonkey wrote: »

I've put a lot of thought into zombie invasion type scenarios because they would be great fun but when you think about it, zombies would pose absolutely no threat if you're prepared. Just cover yourself from head to toe in kevlar. Knifes can't cut through kevlar, let alone human teeth. If you suddenly found yourself in a zombie situation though, you're not gonna be able to get your hands on kevlar clothes so you'd have to improvise by wearing leather jacket, leather gloves, a motorbike helmet and 3 or 4 pairs of jeans. With all that, you'd be invulnerable.

The zombie itself isn't the real danger its the disease they carry. Zombies become dangerous in a horde, you'd wish for death being stuck at the bottom of a horde facing starvation. Your armor will also make you a sitting duck for people and prone to clumbsy accidents

Corvo

Lads, the likelyhood is as soon as it broke out the Yanks would just bomb us back to the stone age

degrassinoel

depends on where the outbreak began, if it began here.. maybe, but there's not one american politician would'd risk losing irish-american votes by dropping bombs on the old country, not one!

Micky Dolenz

One word, quarantine.

We'd be very much on our own for the first 6-12 months I'd suspect.

Corvo

Micky Dolenz wrote: »

One word, quarantine.

We'd be very much on our own for the first 6-12 months I'd suspect.

If it did start here I'd say it would be a case of a nationwide carpet bombing in order to ensure it did not spread to the UK

Jason Todd

Griffin1988 wrote: »

If it did start here I'd say it would be a case of a nationwide carpet bombing in order to ensure it did not spread to the UK

Harsh. :pac:

Corvo

Jason Todd wrote: »

Harsh. :pac:

Good job I'm not in charge

Tzar Chasm

I doubt that they would do that somehow, it wouldn't be in their own self interest, if we were truly up the wazoo their best option for containment would be assistance and screening refugees, I can guarantee you that if there was even a whiff of area bombing the west coast of britain would be a dangerous place to be, all we would have to do is fill a boat with diese,l tie the tiller on a n/ne heading, fill er with z's and bingo biological warfare on an epic scale.

Could you imagine the chaos as thousands of boats undetectable by radar start landing along the entire length of their coast.

Wouldn't take much effort to coordinate either

666irishguy

Tzar Chasm wrote: »

I doubt that they would do that somehow, it wouldn't be in their own self interest, if we were truly up the wazoo their best option for containment would be assistance and screening refugees, I can guarantee you that if there was even a whiff of area bombing the west coast of britain would be a dangerous place to be, all we would have to do is fill a boat with diese,l tie the tiller on a n/ne heading, fill er with z's and bingo biological warfare on an epic scale.

Could you imagine the chaos as thousands of boats undetectable by radar start landing along the entire length of their coast.

Wouldn't take much effort to coordinate either

I'm sure the English press wouldn't find this hungry mass of Paddies so funny.

degrassinoel

Just aim them all at sellafield, nobody'll know the difference!

Tzar Chasm

With the prevailing currents a lot of whst would be launched from dublin would end up there anyway.

Boats launched from near me would have a fair chance of catch in the Georges channel and win in up in either bristol or the cornish coast, stuff from the north is ca different story, that's nearly line of sight to scotland in some cases(must remember to kit those ones out in a bowler hat and sash )

Grizzly 45

degrassinoel wrote: »

depends on where the outbreak began, if it began here.. maybe, but there's not one american politician would'd risk losing irish-american votes by dropping bombs on the old country, not one!

Dont be so sure of that either...
As Mr Spock once said "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."
Nor would they need to carpet bomb us.One sub launched MIRV proably from the UK or France,who have very effective nuke capability targeted at Dublin,Belfast[proably],Cork,Limerick,Galway,and Waterford,and thats the end of it. Maybe use "daisy cutter" fuel air bombs on the smaller towns where there might be still pockets odf the virus and thats the job done.
Or maybe ask Russia if they could borrow a Tsar Bomb[The biggest nuke ever detonated on the planet],and virtually vaporise the entire 32 counties in one go..:eek:

Kess73

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

Dont be so sure of that either...
As Mr Spock once said "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."
Nor would they need to carpet bomb us.One sub launched MIRV proably from the UK or France,who have very effective nuke capability targeted at Dublin,Belfast[proably],Cork,Limerick,Galway,and Waterford,and thats the end of it. Maybe use "daisy cutter" fuel air bombs on the smaller towns where there might be still pockets odf the virus and thats the job done.
Or maybe ask Russia if they could borrow a Tsar Bomb[The biggest nuke ever detonated on the planet],and virtually vaporise the entire 32 counties in one go..:eek:

You would need a few of them to take out Ireland. One on it's own would do serious damage but the area of total destruction would be small compared to the size of the country. Would be huge radiation fall out alright, but there is no guarantee that would stop the zeds.

degrassinoel

That's another reason they wouldn't use nukes, the fallout would not be restricted to this island, with Britain, Holland and France withing farting distance aswell as Iceland, the risk of collateral fallout contamination would be too great, if anything nukes would be a last desperate resort. By the time any politician got to that stage of desperation s/he'd be more worried about an infected refugee, mass paranoia, quarantine and his/her own security. Same could be said for any military leader.

Daisycutters would be more viable, localised incineration - though again, comes with their own problems, they may not actually kill the virus (it's not ebola) and could just as easily spread the virus further or force it to become airbourne, or even cross species through carrion eaters.

If, it was to be done, it wouldn't be America nuking Ireland, it'd be British forces in a final desperate act to contain the spread.

Grizzly 45

Kess73 wrote: »

You would need a few of them to take out Ireland. One on it's own would do serious damage but the area of total destruction would be small compared to the size of the country. Would be huge radiation fall out alright, but there is no guarantee that would stop the zeds.

Have you ever seen what the damage radius is for "bomba Tzar"??:eek::eek:
This is a bomb whose shockwave was felt and recorded going around the planet THREE times!!

Just a little history of it

Designed as a 100 Megaton device, due to its 3 stage design: fission-fusion-fission. There is fission initiator that when detonated, begins a fusion reaction. Then there is a further fission detonation of a Uranium tamper which boosts the yield by 50 Megatons.

For the test, the Tsar had its Uranium tamper replaced with lead to reduce the maximum yield by half (To 50 Megatons).

The blast yield was equal to that of a blast of 57,000,000 Tonnes of TNT....or to put that into context: The weight of 270 Empire State Buildings worth of TNT. This makes the Tsar the most powerful nuclear device ever detonated in history.

The Tsar was 3800 times more powerful than Hiroshima.

The bomb's weight was 27 tonnes, and its dimensions were: 8 meters (26ft) in length, and 2 meters (6.5ft) in diameter.

It was air-dropped, from a modified Tupolev Tu-95 Bear, and it used a nylon parachute to slow its decent to give the crew time to escape.

The bomb was dropped from an altitude of 34,500 feet AGL (10,500 meters), and it detonated a little over three minutes later at an altitude of 13,100 feet AGL (4,000 meters). In this time: The Tu-95, travelling at a ground speed of 480kts (552mph, 864kph), travelled into the safe zone (about 45km from ground zero) and was therefore 79km away from the blast.

When the bomb detonated, immediately the temperature directly below and surrounding the detonation would have risen to millions of degrees. The pressure below the blast was 300 pounds per square inch, over three times the pressure in a car tyre. The light energy released was so powerful that it was visible even at 1000km (621 miles), with cloudy skies. The shockwave was powerful enough to break windows at even up to 900 kilometres (560 miles) from the blast. The shockwave was recorded orbiting the earth 3 times. The mushroom cloud rose to an altitude of 64,000 meters (210,000 feet) before levelling out. The thermal energy from the blast was powerful that it could cause 3rd degree burns to a human standing 100 km (62 miles) away from the blast.

The radius of the fireball was 2.3 kilometres (1.4 miles). The blast radius (area in which total destruction ensured) was 13km (8 miles).

The most important thing to note is that this bomb was designed as a 100 Megaton device (Yield equivalent of 0.1 trillion tonnes of TNT). If detonated, everything within a 48 kilometer (30 mile) diameter would be vaporised. Everything within a 195 kilometer (120 mile) diameter would be incinerated in a fireball. This would ensure total destruction of a large city like New York, Paris or London.


In short enough to ruin our survivors and any Z's whole day in Ireland.:p

http://www.carloslabs.com/node/16

A handy little nuke yield calculator.Used to be better it had it suitcase size and then fallout plumes calculation depending on what wind inputs you wanted.
Brings me onto point two

That's another reason they wouldn't use nukes, the fallout would not be restricted to this island, with Britain, Holland and France withing farting distance aswell as Iceland, the risk of collateral fallout contamination would be too great, if anything nukes would be a last desperate resort.

Depending on wind direction,and prevelant weather conditions on the actual day of the blast.Fallout might be carried out into the Atlantic,or reach the UK in such small amounts to be negligble.if it is raining[very possible here] the fallout cloud will be suffering severe dissipitation right off.As well as that as a fallout cloud travels the further it goes from the blast site the weaker the fallout cloud becomes.
You can be sure they will endevour for a rainy Eastly wind type day.

By the time any politician got to that stage of desperation s/he'd be more worried about an infected refugee, mass paranoia, quarantine and his/her own security. Same could be said for any military leader.

Never underestimate the stupidity of politicans or the fear of a paniced pouplance.The choice of some fallout,which is easily enough dealt with or horrific death by being lunched on by the living dead,and who happen to be on a pretty unimportant bit of Europe off the mainland where the plauge is more or less contained.....BUT there might be a risk of it getting off into the UK or Europe...I dont think for one minute somone would say nuke Ireland to destroy this plauge like yesterday!!! there would be many objections.

Daisycutters would be more viable, localised incineration - though again, comes with their own problems, they may not actually kill the virus (it's not ebola) and could just as easily spread the virus further or force it to become airbourne, or even cross species through carrion eaters.

Exactly,we dont know,cant know,as this is still a fictious scenario.
However lets ASSume it will obey a few rules of science and biology???
IOW one of the greatest destroyers of organic life here is heat..
Cant get much hotter than a nuke bomb going off. The daisy cutters,[and I see you were watching "outbreak":P] are the most powerful NON nuke weapons on the planet at the moment and they produce somthing like if I remember right about 2000 degrees farenheit in their fire ball..Which I think is actually enought to kill any known viral or bacterilogical lifeform..Could be wrong???