Zombies

Besides being a clever tie-in to the title of this blog, zombies represent a very real threat and must be addressed before they are allowed to become the dominant species on this planet.

There have been many manuscripts written on general guidelines in combating the zombie threat. This series will be about the defensibility of specific cities. I will start with cities that I know, and move on from there to a variety of cities around the world. I will start off with my hometown of Lake Oswego, OR.

DEFENSIBILITY: This area has a number of factors to take into consideration. Surrounding landscape, scale of urban development and geographic location are just a few things to take into consideration when planning a proper defense against the walking dead. Lake Oswego's most obvious feature is its man made lake. Normally, a body of water is a good defensive landmark to have, but only when it borders the populated area. This lake is not only in the center of the city, but the land around it goes up, effectively forming a bowl from which a hungry army of zombies will easily be able to pick their prey. Another unfavorable aspect of the lake is that it is connected to the Willamette river, whose banks are quite heavily populated. The likelihood of freshly risen ghouls pouring into the river's waters are more than likely. On a positive note, the lake is somewhat protected by dams and high rock faces at the entrance. In terms of the kinds of structures built in Lake Oswego, prospects are not so good. As a fairly high income city, most buildings were built for comfort and show, not necessarily with security in mind.

RESOURCES: Unfortunately, Lake Oswego will not receive a high ranking in this area, either. The town was built up around its once fertile iron deposits. This, however, is the towns only natural resource. The lake is not only man made, but it doesn't have any major inlets, only an outlet into the aforementioned Willamette river. Thus, its capabilities of providing fresh water are quite low. Of course, the town is in the Pacific Northwest, so rainfall is abundant for a good portion of the year.

OFFENSIVE CAPABILITIES: Lake Oswego has a relatively conservative population and, again, is located in the Pacific Northwest, so gun ownership will be high. The cover provided by the forested landscape lend well to a guerilla style war that could be waged against invading zombies.

LIKELIHOOD OF SURVIVAL: Being a town of only 36,000, many personal relationships will have already been established prior to any fortifications and evacuations that might occur. This bodes well for the inevitable crowds of people that will find themselves together, either in boarded up houses or on the run. Also, the town is about 90% demographically homogeneous. If history has taught us one thing, it's that a person will get along better with someone who is more similar to them then less similar. Overall, Lake Oswego should not be a place to set up for any sort of long term survival. However, the high gun ownership and the potential for a cooperative attack effort could prove effective against a smaller invading horde.

NEXT INSTALLMENT: Los Angeles, CA

Until next time, stay safe, and remember, everything happens for a reason.