Will P.E.I. be the first to fall in the zombie apocalypse?

If a zombie apocalypse a la The Walking Dead ever came to Canada, P.E.I. would be the last place you'd want to be, according to an analysis by an American real estate company.

Estately publishes a blog that it says "explores local culture, humour, and exotic homes." Entries have included The Most Lewd-Sounding Town Names in Each State and The D-List Celebrities Each State Googles More Than Any Other State.

Estately also did a zombie survivalist analysis of U.S. states, and followed that up with a Canadian version for Americans suggesting they would flee the country over the results of the U.S. election.

The blog entry ranked P.E.I. last among the provinces and territories for zombie preparedness.

Blog author Ryan Nickum used five criteria for his ranking.

• Population density (higher density equals more prey).
• Number of firearms licences (the better to defend yourself with).
• Cremation versus burial (the cremated can't rise from the dead).
• Physical fitness of the population (the better to run away).
• Interest in zombies (knowledge is power).

P.E.I. ranked 10th or worse in four of the five categories, managing a sixth in zombie knowledge. Overall, it came in last place, behind Ontario.

In an email to CBC News, Nickum said while P.E.I. is last in Canada, it would still fare better than all but three or four American states.

Not so fast, Estately

Nickum acknowledged it is difficult to find a consensus on a subject such as zombies.

"People are passionate about it. I certainly learned that," he said.

P.E.I.'s poor ranking was a surprise for Shane Graves. The pop culture fan is a resident of Nine Mile Creek, south of Charlottetown, and he took the time to dispute Nickum's findings in the blog entry's comment section.

"I'm from P.E.I. and had to defend her honour," said Graves in a message to CBC News.

Graves argued P.E.I.'s position as an Island, self-sufficient in food and water, and with capacity to produce its own wind power, make it a good place to fend off zombies.

Yes, and no

For another opinion, CBC News contacted Peter Dendle, a folklore professor at Penn State and author of The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia. Dendle has also spent some time on P.E.I., and is familiar with the landscape and infrastructure.

He supported Nickum's findings, as far as they go.

With relatively few guns, little defensible infrastructure, and with the third-highest obesity rate in the country, P.E.I. would have a problem.

"Obese people are not really good at running from zombies and make for formidable zombies once they become them," said Dendle.

"It would be very challenging in the short term, in terms of the immediate zombie onslaught,"

Zombie knowledge could be a plus, said Dendle, noting there is a zombie game, Unturned, in which a level is set on P.E.I.

"People who have played that game may already be familiar with some of the locations as they engage in the assault with the undead," he said.

'Very Darwinian'

Should Islanders beat back that first wave, Dendle agrees with Graves that P.E.I.'s prospects improve.

"Its advantages as an Island, its relatively mild climate, its arable land, could serve it well. It could be self-sustaining," he said.

"Living in an area like Ontario or Quebec would become more challenging over time."

But that's not to say the Island would become a post-apocalyptic paradise. While P.E.I. scores well in self-sufficiency in the basics, it lacks in some other areas.

"Now you're talking about Island living. No more importation of anything: gas, ammo, batteries, insulin," said Dendle.

"It's going to get very Darwinian, very quickly."

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