Many people pride themselves on their survival skills, assuming they would easily make it out of a zombie apocalypse alive. 

But how well you’ve prepared yourself may not mean much if your location is working against you, especially in Delaware.  

Is Delaware a good state to survive a zombie apocalypse in? 

Casino.org, an online gaming website, compiled data for each state to determine which offered the highest and lowest chances of survival during a zombie apocalypse. They first asked ChatGPT to create general criteria for their Zombie Apocalypse Survival Index and then grouped some of the suggested factors into different weighted categories.

Environmental, weighted at a total of 36%, features:  

• Population density per square mile, weighted at 7%. 

• Firearm ownership rates, weighted at 10%. 

• Freshwater accessibility (Water surface area per square mile), weighted at 9%. 

• Crime rate per 100,000 people, weighted at 4%. 

• Number of gas stations, weighted at 6%. 

Hiding spots, weighted at a total of 25%, features: 

• Number of farms, weighted at 7%,  

• Number of army bases, weighted at 10%. 

• Number of prisons, weighted at 8%. 

Valuable professions, weighted at a total of 49%, features: 

• Number of military and law enforcement workers per capita, weighted at 10%. 

• Number of healthcare professionals per capita, weighted at 12%. 

• Number of scientists and engineers per capita, weighted at 10%. 

• Number of farmers per capita, weighted at 7%. 

Each state was then scored on a scale from 0 to 100 to find the states where residents are most likely and least likely to survive a zombie apocalypse. 

According to the findings, the First State is one of the places you don’t want to be when catastrophe strikes.  

Delaware ranked No. 4, with a score of 17.64, for the worst states for zombie apocalypse survival nationwide. 

Only 5% of Delaware population consists of valuable apocalyptic professions. With Delaware reporting the sixth highest population density and a low firearm ownership rate at 38.7%, Casino.org found that it would be “too crowded and impossible to defend yourself against zombies and traitors.” 

Aside from the factors hindering the survival of Delawareans, the Small Wonder has the second lowest freshwater availability in the nation, along with only 2,300 farms, four army bases and four prisons available for 1.08 million residents to potentially hide in.  

ICYMI: Need a cool down? Check out these caves and caverns near Delaware

Best and worst states to survive a zombie apocalypse in 

Along with Delaware, the other states in the bottom five for apocalypse survival are: 

• Rhode Island at No.1, with a score of 0.  

• New Jersey at No. 2, with a score of 10.12   

• Connecticut at No. 3, with a score of 10.97.   

• Nevada at No. 5, with a score of 21.47.   

The states where you will have the best chances of apocalypse survival are: 

• California at No. 1, with a score of 100.   

• Texas at No. 2, with a score of 88.39.   

• Florida at No. 3, with a score of 73.28.   

• Virginia at No. 4, with a score of 66.31.   

• Michigan at No. 5, with a score of 64. 51.   

Got a tip or a story idea? Contact Krys’tal Griffin at kgriffin@delawareonline.com.        

A Delaware bankruptcy court provided some clarity late Friday regarding $6.5 billion in withdrawal liability claims against Yellow Corp. The total amount the bankrupt less-than-truckload company will actually pay, however, remains to be decided. The mere fact that the estate will have to make good on some portion of the claims sent Yellow’s stock spiraling.

Shares of Yellow (OTC: YELLQ) fell 90% on Friday to 50 cents per share as stockholders realized their bet that the company’s asset value would exceed amounts owed to creditors may not come to fruition.

MFN Partners, which acquired a more than 40% equity stake in Yellow in the day’s leading up to a bankruptcy filing last summer, is the largest holder. However, the Boston-based private equity firm provided the company with bankruptcy financing during its liquidation, the interest and fees from which have helped offset its equity exposure.

The U.S. Treasury holds a 30% stake in Yellow. The equity was issued as part of a collateral package for a $700 million Covid-relief loan it provided to the company in 2020.

Multiemployer pension plans (MEPPs) to which Yellow once contributed claim the carrier’s abrupt shutdown a year ago means it’s now on the hook for its allocable share of unfunded vested benefits. However, Yellow has said that the plans are fully funded now, following a 2021 pension fund bailout package (the American Rescue Plan Act). Yellow contends its exposure is a fraction of the amounts claimed, if anything.

The legislation provided pension insurer Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. the authority to craft guidelines to make sure the money would only be used to cover plan benefits and costs, and not to allow employers to skirt withdrawal liability.

Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. created two regulations. The first said special financial assistance awarded to the MEPPs wouldn’t be recognized as a plan asset until the money was actually received. The second mandated the recognition of the funds would be phased in over time even though they were distributed in a lump sum.

The organization said the goal was to keep other contributing employers from using the bailout as a way to exit the plans. Immediate recognition would mean the MEPPs are fully funded, removing any unfunded vested benefits and consequently an employer’s withdrawal liability. That could have created a mass exodus from the plans, PBGC claimed.

Judge Craig Goldblatt’s Friday opinion sided with both the MEPPs and to an extent Yellow.

He said PBGC acted within its authority when putting up the guardrails on the program and that the MEPPs didn’t have to recognize the payments as an asset until received, and that they could be phased in. The implication is that Yellow is now responsible for some form of withdrawal liability to 11 different MEPPs that received government funds.

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Central States Pension Fund holds nearly $5 billion in withdrawal liability claims against Yellow. It was awarded $35.8 billion in special financial assistance on Dec. 5, 2022, but didn’t receive the funds until Jan. 12, 2023, after its plan year ended. Yellow filed for bankruptcy on Aug. 6, 2023. The unfunded vested benefit calculation used plan year 2022 to determine the amount owed.

“The regulations implement Congress’s specific directive in the American Rescue Plan Act that special financial assistance be used only to pay plan benefits and costs,” Goldblatt said. “The regulations prevent such funds from instead being used, in effect, to reduce amounts that employers would otherwise be required to pay upon withdrawal from a plan.”

However, Goldblatt also entered a partial summary judgment in favor of Yellow, citing that the 20-year cap (established by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act) should be placed on the company’s total withdrawal exposure. Essentially, the court ruled that Yellow is responsible for 20 times its annual contribution amount per the statute. Past court filings from Yellow have estimated a total liability of roughly $1 billion when using the 20-year cap.

Yellow previously asserted discounting to present value should apply to the 20-year stream of payments. However, Goldblatt said its default on the contributions accelerates the amounts to “presently due and owing,” and no discounting is needed.

He also upheld an agreement inked between Yellow and Teamsters funds in New York and Western Pennsylvania. Yellow reentered those funds in 2013 under a deal in which it would contribute just 25% of the usual rate, but it would repay any withdrawal liabilities assuming a 100% contribution rate if it withdrew.

Goldblatt directed the parties to hash out the actual amounts due. He said the task may be “relatively easy to resolve” now that the court has ruled on the disputed legal questions.

Yellow still faces a much smaller pool of withdrawal liability claims from pensions that didn’t receive special financial assistance.

The 11 MEPPs party to the Friday opinion received more than $40 billion in assistance from the government.

More FreightWaves articles by Todd Maiden

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A 60-year-old Wilmington man is now $300,000 richer after claiming the top prize from the Payout Instant scratch-off game.

The man, who has chosen to remain anonymous, purchased the winning ticket at Tobacco Field II in New Castle, according to the Delaware Lottery. He claimed he prize on Aug. 27.

He started playing the Delaware Lottery a few years ago and likes to play the $30 tickets, usually picking up a couple at a time, Delaware Lottery officials said. While he always had a gut feeling that he would win big one day, he was still shocked when it actually happened.

“We are very excited for this winner and happy to celebrate another big prize in our community,” said Helene Keeley, Director of the Delaware Lottery. “It’s truly a pleasure to share in the excitement of our winners as they walk through our doors to collect their prizes and reveal their plans for the future.”

Two top prizes remain for the Payout instant game while the $20 scratch-off Cashnado and $100K still have top prizes of $150,000 and $100,000 are available, officials said.

Mega Millions: Winning lottery tickets worth $10,000 sold in Delaware. Are you a winner?

Delaware lottery: Delaware woman wins $300,000 in lottery scratch-off game

How long do I have to claim my prize?

Tickets are valid for up to one year past the drawing date for drawing game prizes or within one year of the announced end of sales for Instant Games, according to delottery.com. 

How can I claim my prize? 

First things first, sign the back of your ticket using an ink pen to identify yourself as the ticket owner. Once signed, ownership of a ticket cannot be changed or transferred, according to the Delaware Lottery. 

A prize worth $5,001 or more can be claimed at the Delaware Lottery Office on business days from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. You must bring a photo ID with your name and address and a Social Security card. 

All winning Powerball, Mega Millions and Lotto America tickets must be redeemed in the state and jurisdiction where they were sold.