Post by jimcobb on Apr 7, 2023 0:40:19 GMT
I first learned about castaway depots a bit ago. In the 1860s, there were a few shipwrecks where survivors managed to make it to small islands near New Zealand. In fact, there were two separate wrecks that occurred near Carnley Harbour months apart in 1864 where people made it to shore and survived, though on different ends of the island and without ever knowing the other group existed.
After these and other incidents, a number of emergency depots were established on various islands. New Zealand took over the responsibility from private parties in 1877 and maintained them for the next 50 years. During that time, government ships patrolled the area to check for survivors and maintain the supplies in the depots, visiting each location at least once every six months. They would cut firewood, drop off stocks of live animals, and make any necessary repairs to the huts.
The program was discontinued in 1927, with the advent of improved communication equipment and such.
All of that’s interesting, but how can we apply it to prepping? Well, from time to time we talk about setting up caches. Same principle, applied slightly differently.
There are a few different types of caches. The most traditional, at least as far as survivalists and preppers go, is a container filled with supplies that’s buried or otherwise hidden somewhere. One of the most common approaches is to use a short length of PVC that’s sealed on both ends. These don’t hold a ton of stuff, but even a little bit of gear could give you a leg up in a pinch.
Another version of the cache is to make use of a storage unit. I’m not suggesting you rent a unit specifically for this purpose, but rather if you have one already, there’s little harm in adding some shelf-stable food, cases of bottled water, and other supplies to it. Ideally, the storage facility will be located outside any urban areas and thus less likely to be dangerous to access in a crisis. From where I’m sitting at home, I know of at least three of these companies that are within a 20 minute drive and are well outside any city limits. So, yes, they do exist out beyond where the sidewalks end.
Yet one more version, and the one I wanted to actually concentrate on today, is a tote or other container with supplies that you stash with a friend or family member. This one wouldn’t have food or water in it, but rather things like:
Spare clothes
Cash
Prescription meds (if applicable)
Toiletries
Copies of important documents
List of phone numbers (insurance companies, etc.)
The idea is to assemble what you’d probably need for a few days if you were driven from your home, such as in the case of a fire. Rather than rely on the generosity of others to donate something you can wear and such, you’d have a small supply of necessities squirreled away somewhere you could access easily, should the need arise.
Obviously, this would need to involve someone you could trust. And you’ll want to access the cache a few times a year to swap out medications and what not. The good news is that this isn’t something that should cost you much money to assemble. You don’t need to go out and buy a bunch of brand-new stuff. Just use old clothes from your closet (that still fit, of course). The other supplies can be likewise skimmed from what you have at home already.
This isn’t something that is necessarily survival-related. But, it is something that will help smooth things over a bit in an emergency, allowing you to focus on other things.
After these and other incidents, a number of emergency depots were established on various islands. New Zealand took over the responsibility from private parties in 1877 and maintained them for the next 50 years. During that time, government ships patrolled the area to check for survivors and maintain the supplies in the depots, visiting each location at least once every six months. They would cut firewood, drop off stocks of live animals, and make any necessary repairs to the huts.
The program was discontinued in 1927, with the advent of improved communication equipment and such.
All of that’s interesting, but how can we apply it to prepping? Well, from time to time we talk about setting up caches. Same principle, applied slightly differently.
There are a few different types of caches. The most traditional, at least as far as survivalists and preppers go, is a container filled with supplies that’s buried or otherwise hidden somewhere. One of the most common approaches is to use a short length of PVC that’s sealed on both ends. These don’t hold a ton of stuff, but even a little bit of gear could give you a leg up in a pinch.
Another version of the cache is to make use of a storage unit. I’m not suggesting you rent a unit specifically for this purpose, but rather if you have one already, there’s little harm in adding some shelf-stable food, cases of bottled water, and other supplies to it. Ideally, the storage facility will be located outside any urban areas and thus less likely to be dangerous to access in a crisis. From where I’m sitting at home, I know of at least three of these companies that are within a 20 minute drive and are well outside any city limits. So, yes, they do exist out beyond where the sidewalks end.
Yet one more version, and the one I wanted to actually concentrate on today, is a tote or other container with supplies that you stash with a friend or family member. This one wouldn’t have food or water in it, but rather things like:
Spare clothes
Cash
Prescription meds (if applicable)
Toiletries
Copies of important documents
List of phone numbers (insurance companies, etc.)
The idea is to assemble what you’d probably need for a few days if you were driven from your home, such as in the case of a fire. Rather than rely on the generosity of others to donate something you can wear and such, you’d have a small supply of necessities squirreled away somewhere you could access easily, should the need arise.
Obviously, this would need to involve someone you could trust. And you’ll want to access the cache a few times a year to swap out medications and what not. The good news is that this isn’t something that should cost you much money to assemble. You don’t need to go out and buy a bunch of brand-new stuff. Just use old clothes from your closet (that still fit, of course). The other supplies can be likewise skimmed from what you have at home already.
This isn’t something that is necessarily survival-related. But, it is something that will help smooth things over a bit in an emergency, allowing you to focus on other things.