Should a zombie apocalypse see the light of day, a survey says that Boston would be the most conducive place to stay. Following at second place is Salt Lake City.
Seems like the Halloween spirit is truly in the air as a new survey tackles which U.S states would most likely survive a zombie invasion and which ones would most probably be annihilated in a short period of time.
CareerBuilder, a career/job bank website in the U.S., conducted a small study to identify how each of the 53 major locations in the country would fare should zombies invade. The study examined the occupational skills and industrial features of the areas, which all have about one million residents.
The study assumed that there is a standard, flesh-eating virus spread through biting or contact with blood of an infected individual. The researchers then determined four points, which will be the basis for categorizing the likelihood of the cities' survival. These classifications include ability to protect self against the virus, ability to curb the virus, ability to come up with a cure and lastly, the ability to survive the epidemic with sufficient amount of food.
The data collated via the Economic Modeling Specialists International (EMSI) were put together to come up with a weighted index, which was scored based on eight different factors in the four ability classifications.
After analysis, the top 10 metropolitan areas that are likely to survive zombie apocalypse include Boston, Salt Lake City, Columbus, Baltimore, Virginia Beach, Seattle, San Diego, Kansas City, Denver and Indianapolis.
On the other end of the spectrum, the top 10 locations where people may have no choice but to succumb to the zombies include New York, Tampa, Los Angeles, Riverside-San Bernardino, Chicago, Miami, Jacksonville, Milwaukee, Providence in Rhode Island and Las Vegas.
In 2011, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) wrote in their website some tips on how to survive a zombie apocalypse should it really come. The most important tools needed to thrive include water, food, medicines, tools such as knife, batteries and duct tape, hygiene supplies, clothing and bedding, vital documents and of course, first aid kit.
The country would not go unsupported in the midst of zombie attacks. "If zombies did start roaming the streets, CDC would conduct an investigation much like any other disease outbreak," the agency post wrote. CDC will also extend technical assistance including consultations, laboratory examinations, patient care, contact tracing and infection control.
The interactive Zombie Apocalypse Index map of the CareerBuilder survey may be viewed here.
Photo: Eneas De Troya | Flickr
