Zombie Apocalypse Simulator Proves What We Already Knew: Get Out of the Cities

So this actually exists. What next, a degree in zombie statistics?

Cornell University researchers have created a zombie apocalypse simulator website to go along with their recent study “The Statistical Mechanics of Zombies,” which shows how fast a zombie outbreak might spread when one zombie is dropped in a U.S. city.

As most of us who have common sense (although it’s seemingly a little less common these days) already knew, big cities are a really, really bad idea.

The parameters are the “kill-to-bite” ratio and the time it takes for a zombie to walk a mile. Try it for yourself here.

How the simulation works:

The Cornell simulation, which you can play with here, draws data from the 2010 U.S. Census and depends on the SIR model, an epidemiological model sometimes used to predict the spread of real-life infectious diseases like measles and rubella. In the SIR model, individuals are either susceptible (S), infected (I) or recovered or immune (R) from a disease. But with zombies, of course, there’s a bit of a twist: Once a zombie, always a zombie. There are no R’s here. As Alex Alemi, one of the Cornell researchers, told NewScientist, “Zombies don’t get better, nor do they die, so the only way you can get rid of a zombie is for a human to actively kill it.” (source)

As HuffPost reported, the researchers have determined that the Rockies are the safest bet in a zombie outbreak:

The lesson here is to head for the Rockies. Researchers found it would take months for zombies to get there as the spread of any infectious disease would likely slow when it left densely-populated areas.

If you’re still not sure where to go, here are 25 other cities you should avoid when the dead walk.

Resources

The Prepper’s Blueprint: The Step-By-Step Guide To Help You Through Any Disaster

Prepper’s Home Defense: Security Strategies to Protect Your Family by Any Means Necessary

Contact! A Tactical Manual for Post Collapse Survival