A young woman helps bag ready -to- consume meals for distribution to the residents of the Decrease East Side who stay with out electrical power due to Superstorm Sandy on Friday.
A youthful female assists bag prepared -to- consume meals for distribution to the residents of the Reduce East Side who remain devoid of power due to Superstorm Sandy on Friday.
When we believe of prepared -to- consume meals, we normally consider of these packets of nutrient-dense soldiers' rations, like the Army sandwich that stays fresh for two years. These pouches of foods are typically deployed in the area, and are as a result created to withstand the abuses of temperature and time that would destroy fresh fare.
In the final week, a near cousin of these pretty much indestructible vittles has moved out of Red Cross and Federal Emergency Management Agency warehouses and into the hands of the ordinary citizens of New York and New Jersey hurt by Superstorm Sandy's bluster and flooding final week.
The total amount of ready -to- consume meals distributed in the wake of the storm is a figure which is tough to come by given that operations are ongoing. New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs spokesperson Kryn Westhoven says Nationwide Guard troops have delivered far more than 25,000 emergency meals to resident of Hoboken alone, one of the hardest hit parts in the state, in the last 6 days.
The Red Cross says it has deployed more than 334,000 prepared -to- eat meals to the ten states dealing with the most storm injury, and FEMA's Mary Olsen tells The Salt " far more than four. eight million liters of water and additional than 2. four million meals have been transferred to states to supplement their current inventory."
Now, to be distinct, these pouched meals are distinct from the hundreds of thousands of meals produced fresh in makeshift kitchens and delivered scorching to residents. The Red Cross estimates it has presently delivered more than a million of these meals so far and counting, says spokeswoman Anne Marie Borrego.
But what specifically are folks obtaining in the oft-maligned minor packets? " They're really superior in calories they're not a light foods," says Westhoven. He admits his standby is "beanie-weenie," a frankfurters and beans sort meal, " simply because I know I can consume it cold. It can be type of like cold pizza," he says.
But the prepackaged meals sent to storm victims go way past beanie-weenies.
"It might be Chicken Caccitore, chili and rice, beef stew, all sorts," says Joice Williams, a senior affiliate at the Red Cross who is assisting coordinate efforts in the most impacted states.
And they're typically no cost of pork these days.
"We try and be cognizant of dietary restrictions, for illustration, they are lower in sodium than [soldiers'] MREs and have much less calories. There are vegetarian and Kosher alternatives," FEMA's Olsen says.
Ally Kist, a nurse and EMT who was volunteering at a shelter that lost power in Teterboro, N.J., when the storm hit, says the greatest FEMA meal she received was Buffalo chicken. It came with Saltine crackers, peanut butter, spreadable cheese and instant coffee, as well as a packet that can warmth the foods in about ten minutes, just by adding water. " It can be fairly awesome and semi-bearable," she tells The Salt.
Even though she says she was grateful for a scorching meal, she gave the flavors mixed testimonials. "I discovered the challenging way that the only ones worth eating were the chicken ones and the vegetable ones," she tells us.
Military MRE rations have improved a good deal considering that the U.S. Army 1st launched the present day version to troops in 1975. The coffee has improved and there is sizzling sauce, wet -packed fruit and even chocolate in some of them, according to an unofficial but extensive net site featuring recent MRE menus, testimonials, and a lot more.
Now, the Red Cross assures us that their MREs are reduced in calories than the soldiers,' but they are however filling. Finest of all, says Williams, they now come with their own self-heating device that only needs a minor water to activate.
And, as military officials and aid employees know effectively, a hot meal can go a long way to helping another person the two physically and mentally.
So how do our MRE offerings stack up against other countries' versions? See for by yourself. Slate posted this comparative slide demonstrate final yr.
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