The media and the World Health Organization continue to remind us that the globe is long overdue for a major pandemic.  But a new study has declared that there are places you can hide if this sort of SHTF scenario does play out.

World Health Organization: The Globe Isn’t Ready For A World-Wide Pandemic

New research claims to have identified the top 20 locations you should try to get to if a human extinction-level pandemic breaks out. According to RT,  public health doctors based in New Zealand used a range of strict criteria to narrow down the options. Smaller islands were out of the running because they lack the wide range of expertise necessary to support modern civilization.

Professor Nick Wilson and Dr. Matt Boyd allocated points for each element they deemed necessary to devise a shortlist of ideal candidates. Any potential refuge site had to meet conditions regarding its distance from other landmasses, its natural hazards, available resources, and the number of visitors they receive per year. Social stability was also a key factor. Published in Risk Analysis journal, their research found Australia to be the best location for riding out a global pandemic, thanks chiefly to its abundance of energy and food.

Boyd, the paper’s lead author, said the “worst-case scenario” would be deadly genetically-engineered organisms being accidentally or intentionally released by humans, and “we need to be ready for these situations.” Wilson agrees it’s important to think ahead, even though he believes a pandemic is unlikely. “It’s like an insurance policy. You hope that you never need to use it, but if disaster strikes, then the strategy needs to have been in place ahead of time.”

So where does Boyd think the safest places to wait out a pandemic are?

Filling out the top five were: Australia, New Zealand, Iceland, Malta, and Japan.

Most of us cannot or will not travel if a major pandemic does hit, but you can boost your chances of survival by preparing on your own regardless of your location.

How to Prepare Your Home (Quarantine) For A Pandemic

These are the items you’ll want if you and your family stay home and are not ill, and the ones you’ll need if someone does become infected.

1. Body Suits and N95 Masks
2. Thick Plastic Sheeting (common at home improvement stores) and Duct tape or painters’ tape
3. Simple and easy to clean cot
4. Strong High Mil Trash Bags 
5. Hydration and Electrolyte Options (sports drinks or others)
6. Immune Booster (pine needle tea, for example)
7. High-quality disinfectant soap, bleach, and scrubbing tools
8. 8. Disposable latex gloves
9. 5-gallon bucket to act as a backup toilet (multiple would be preferred)
10. Water – in this case, at least 2 gallons of water per person for up to 7 days if possible. More is better.

Make sure you have chosen a quarantine room, preferably a room with a toilet just in case the illness causes digestive distress.

Having these items and being prepared beforehand, no matter where you live or happen to be located when/if a pandemic strikes will definitely increase your chances of survival.

Tess Pennington, the author of The Prepper’s Blueprint: The Step-By-Step Guide To Help You Through Any Disaster says: “if we have learned one thing studying the history of disasters, it is this: those who are prepared have a better chance at survival than those who are not.”