Sudden Survival Test

[Dogma]

Imagine this: For some reason your entire family has disappeared along with the rest of the town, there is no hope of finding them or anyone else (imagine they disappeared spontaneously). All homes are locked, all businesses are open and all that's left is you to survive. Keep in mind that most foods will spoil over time and the longer the city is abandoned the more likely it will become inhabited by other dangerous animals that could threaten your survival. Assume the global power grid is on, but all television and radio stations are offline.


You have only the energy to carry enough to fit into a backpack capable of holding a maximum of 2.5 square feet of materials. Larger items can be fastened on the outside, but you must be mobile enough to run if necessary.

Your home's food supply is not indefinite and if you are to make base anywhere, additional supplies is necessary (like additional food, barriers and electronics), so you must set out (whether or not you return to the home is irrelevant). So here is the predicament. This is your first trek out onto the abandoned streets with only the will to survive on your side. Of everything in your home (plus garage, shack and whatnot), what would you take with you?


Remember your backpack's limitations and keep in mind it would be best to prepare as if you would be gone for at least 3 days.

Once you've posted what you think you'd bring, post your immediate survival plans, be they safe points, landmarks or personal goals.

I'll post my own survival plan later. Enjoy.

[IamJen]

Oh man..this is so a text/graphics game from like 1985. :p

[Dogma]

I would take a bag of bread,
a knife/pair of scissors,
a box of cereal,
a thermos of water,
a makeshift lockpick,
house keys,
a bludgeoning weapon (a disassembled chair leg)
as well as any additional food I could pack.

My plan would include trekking to the Mall of America (the largest nearby resource that's likely open) and try to find portable barriers (such as planks of wood) as well as some form of rope which I would use to hoist myself up onto nearby balconies so that I could raid surrounding apartments. If I ran out of food while out I could rush to the food courts and scavenge up something there.

[Dogma]

Oh man..this is so a text/graphics game from like 1985. :p
Hm, more of a "what if" situation, but those are enjoyable aren't they?

[scooby1988]

hmm hard. id base myself at a supermarket but try and grow veg for long term use.
id take...
a knife
rope
high protein cereal bars
water
wear walking boots and big jacket (it might get cold)
and whatever else i could stuff in my bag i think....

[MrFalafel]

How can power grid stay on if there's no one around to man the power plants? What other things work and don't work? Do cars work? Electricity at petrol stations?

If all people have dissapeared, wouldn't whatever killed them also kill animals? And what about bodies? No bodies?

Why would houses be locked and businesses open? Can I break into houses to look for food?

Whats the weather like? Whats the location? What about access to medical care? Wouldn't most people search for other people and therefore have their actions be motivated by this?

[Blobbenstein]

what about cars, wouldn't it be good to try and get one of those working?


I like the sort of stories where this sort of thing happens; I read "Day of the Triffids" twice... And there was another book where this happened, and there was some sort of movie where all but a few people(those that were dying when some sort of science experiment was going on) disappeared.

[MrFalafel]

what about cars, wouldn't it be good to try and get one of those working?


I like the sort of stories where this sort of thing happens; I read "Day of the Triffids" twice... And there was another book where this happened, and there was some sort of movie where all but a few people(those that were dying when some sort of science experiment was going on) disappeared.

There's a cool British TV series from the 1970s where 98% of the worlds population dies of a mysterious virus in the first episode. The series then revolves around the few survivors and how they lived for the next few years. Fascinating stuff. http://www.survivorstvseries.com/What_Is_Survivors.htm

[Dogma]

The national Power Grid isn't kept on because someone has their finger over the button 24/7 you know. In any case, since cars utilize gas and are otherwise independent of electrical appliances, cars have every reason to work as long as they have gas in the tank.

[Dogma]

hmm hard. id base myself at a supermarket but try and grow veg for long term use.
id take...
a knife
rope
high protein cereal bars
water
wear walking boots and big jacket (it might get cold)
and whatever else i could stuff in my bag i think....
It would be a good idea to utilize those freezers huh? I hadn't thought of that.

[MrFalafel]

The national Power Grid isn't kept on because someone has their finger over the button 24/7 you know. In any case, since cars utilize gas and are otherwise independent of electrical appliances, cars have every reason to work as long as they have gas in the tank.


Not true, the national power grid needs constant manual intervention for a variety of reasons. There are several versions of 'dead mans switches' whereby if no human interacts then they shut down.

I really do think that in your scenario all utlities would work for perhaps a couple of hours and then shut down for good. That includes running water/plumbing/gas and electric.

[The Lurker]

you need to find a house with solar panels fitted or a wind turbine, near a stream nearby for water and a garden for growing potatoes.

sorted

[Dogma]

I really do think that in your scenario all utlities would work for perhaps a couple of hours and then shut down for good. That includes running water/plumbing/gas and electric.

Of course.

[Dogma]

you need to find a house with solar panels fitted or a wind turbine, near a stream nearby for water and a garden for growing potatoes.

sorted

Good luck with that one.