Nobody wants to experience an emergency situation. These events come in a wide variety of different forms. Emergencies can range from earthquakes to floods and even fires. One of the more difficult aspects of emergencies stems from just how much any given emergency can differ from another. For example, the damage created by an earthquake is dramatically different than what's found with a flood. However, there are some similarities between all of these events.
One of the biggest common elements shared by all emergencies is the simple fact that people can prepare for them with a little planning. Survival food, and more specifically the MRE, is the foundation of a solid emergency plan. But understanding why that's the case and how to best leverage it takes a little more explanation.
It's important to consider why various conditions cause an emergency in the first place. In doing so we can often discover that various effects associated with emergencies can be mitigated with the proper planning. Basically, we can take steps to deescalate an emergency situation into something more manageable.
With that in mind, what makes something an emergency? The answer typically comes down to danger. Maslow's hierarchy of needs provides a fairly simple way to understand what people need in order to feel safe and secure. The two foundational elements of that hierarchy are physiological needs and safety needs. When we classify something as an emergency it's typically because these foundational elements of our well-being have been disrupted.
One of the largest common issues linking all emergency situations is a disruption in our access to food and water. For example, blizzards, hurricanes, and even tornadoes make it difficult to acquire more food. Even water can become an issue in situations where we'd have thought we were properly covered. People often assume that floods won't interfere with access to drinking water. But floodwater is almost never safe to drink. And we find similar problems with most other disasters. Food and water is cut off and our ability to restock any of it is cut off.
Thankfully, it's easier to prepare for this aspect of emergencies than most people assume. One of the key elements simply comes down to knowing what to stock up on and how to store it. This process begins by creating a good location to store food and water.
It's generally a good idea to consider which kinds of emergencies are the biggest risk factor. For example, if we live in an area with tornado activity it's a good idea to plan around that as the most probable threat. Though it's always best to err on the side of caution and plan around as many potential emergencies as possible.
With that in mind, it's generally best to find an area in our home that doesn't have any windows. It's also good if the area is slightly chilled, but not outright cold. Basements tend to be an ideal fit for those criteria. But even closets can be a good fit. Windows are usually the most important consideration since they can shatter. This lets dangerous properties into the home, creates potential sources of injury and risks ruining a stock of food and water. An ideal area will have enough space for someone, preferably the entire household, to take shelter. This again makes a larger closet a good fit. Again, a basement is a perfect solution if available.
When we've found a good place we can generally improve it by adding stable shelving. It makes it easier to store emergency supplies. This, of course, leads to one of the most important parts of emergency prepping - the food and drink.
Once an emergency area has been selected and prepared it's time to stock it. Water is usually a fairly easy solution. A combination of bottled water and a good water filter should be enough to get people through almost any emergency. It's generally best to plan for any emergency situation to last at least three days. This then becomes a question of how much water any given person will need. Men are usually advised to drink about fifteen cups of water per day and women eleven.
Bottled water typically has about two cups of water per bottle. When scaled up to every person in a household it should become clear that water is a more significant concern than most people realize. This is part of why planning in advance is so important. The water filter will ensure that even if the bottled water runs out that there's still a viable, if not ideal, plan B.
Bottled water can last an extremely long time. It should ideally be cycled out every two years or so. But in practice, there's really no set time limit on how long bottled water can last. But food isn't nearly that simple. Or at least that's true for most foods.
Some dry food like rice can last a surprisingly long time - up to two years. But there's a big issue there. Cooking rice uses up valuable water and isn't always possible during emergency situations. And it's fairly low on a lot of nutrients, isn't filling, etc. The same goes for most dry foods with a long storage life.
However, the MRE (Meals Ready to Eat) is generally considered the optimal solution to the problem of long-term food storage. MREs are a perfect emergency food since they can be stored for up to five years. What's more, they serve as a great survival food due to the high nutritional value of each of the MREs. Emergency food needs to pack as much nutritional content and raw calories as possible into a single meal. And MREs are able to do exactly that. What's more, MREs are designed for portability. They pack all of that nutritional power into a fairly compact package.
There's also the fact that MREs are generally enjoyable to eat. A lot of work has gone into designing MREs that are more than just nutrient packages. MREs actually provide tasty meals that can help enliven difficult survival situations. A good meal is one of the best ways to calm people down during otherwise difficult events.
MREs will even help make meals pleasant by providing everything needed to enjoy them. This even includes eating utensils and flameless ration heaters. Desserts are even a part of the best MREs. It's quite literally everything that people could want from a standard meal, but in a portable form that's easy to store long-term.
It's also a good idea to stock some additional items along with the food. Crank-powered radios with USB chargers are fairly inexpensive these days and make a great survival item. This isn't just about getting news about the emergency situation either. It also helps to keep people calm and collected by supplying both news and entertainment.
On top of this it's usually a good idea to have a basic first aid kit stored along with the food. It doesn't have to be elaborate. But some basic supplies to tend to minor wounds can quite literally be a lifesaver.
We also need to remember to cycle through supplies on a regular basis. MREs are good for an extremely long time. But that doesn't mean they can sit around forever. MREs can last for up to five years in storage. However, it's generally a good idea to cycle through them on a regular basis. The same goes for bottled water. It's theoretically stable for as long as we need it. But it's generally best to drink bottled water within two years of purchase.
We can generally just grab some MREs and bottled water from emergency supplies and then restock as needed. Or at least that's a viable strategy as long as there's a margin of error factored in when creating those emergency supply stores. We all have those days when we can't put together a proper meal. And that can almost be considered an emergency of sorts as well. It's just important to replace MREs in our emergency stock after eating them.
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We often take canned food for granted. If we need something with a long shelf life then we just naturally gravitate toward the canned items, but it's worth taking a step back to consider just how much canned food has done for us over the years. After all, the march through history has been largely defined by food scarcity. We're in a rare moment of history where we can easily plan for future food shortages. Our distant ancestors only had a few reliable non-perishables, and even those foods were subject to climate and pests in ways that we seldom need to worry about.
Our distant ancestors in early agricultural cultures would be shocked at the level of preservation provided by canning, and of course, it almost goes without saying that a modern MRE or other specialty emergency food item would seem almost miraculous. The ability to store a full meal without worrying about it going bad has revolutionized our entire way of life, but where exactly did that process begin? How was canning invented in the first place?
A Different Type of Champagne
Today Champagne is synonymous with sparkling wine originating from the region, but this area of France has created a culinary tradition that goes far beyond wine. In fact, it's where any exploration of canned food needs to begin.
The 18th century was filled with war and other armed conflicts. Of course, military action will always carry some inherent difficulties, but longer campaigns in distant areas made provisions a more serious problem for soldiers. This was something most countries had in common, but France in particular was determined to do something about it, and this is where the Champagne region comes into the picture.
In 1795 France was facing concurrent campaigns in multiple areas. France had ongoing conflicts in Italy, Germany, the Caribbean, and the Netherlands. The battles in far-off areas, on the land and sea, all brought specific issues, but they had one thing in common. Every one of those conflicts saw Frenchmen suffering from a lack of food.
The French government decided that it was time to find a real solution. The French government offered a full 12,000 franc prize for any method which could reliably preserve food for the soldiers. The government also knew that such a development would be important for France as a whole. As such, they offered the prize through the Society for the Encouragement of Industry.
A young man named Nicolas Appert, from the Champagne region, was determined to win that prize. Despite Appert's youth, he'd already built up a solid history in the culinary arts. Appert had even served as a chef to France's nobles. This young man from Champagne also had access to a specialty of the region. Appert had access to a wide variety of sturdy, air-tight, champagne bottles.
The Air Factor
Nicolas Appert had a revolutionary idea. He decided to see what would happen if he stored food within champagne bottles. After all, champagne bottles were able to keep the wine in a perfectly preserved state. Might the same hold true for food as well as drink?
Of course today we know that there are a lot of contributing factors to food preservation. Everything from levels of acidity to alcohol content can impact how well material holds up in various containers, but Appert was among the first people to seriously study and discover many of these facts. He initially achieved success with standard wine bottles and a mixture of cheese and lime.
Appert built upon this success by creating a full lab and factory. He moved from standard champagne bottles to larger glass containers. These containers also provided him with larger necks which were more compatible with solid food. Of course one of the most important parts of this process relates to air. The bottling method would dramatically decrease the viability of aerobic bacteria within the containers. This would become the foundation of many other methods of food preservation in the coming years.
Preserved Food Starts To Propagate Out Into the World
By 1803 Appert had successfully preserved vegetables, red meat, fish, fruit, and dairy in his specially designed containers. This finally culminated in a full trial with the French navy. The success in his endeavors led to a new phase of research. Appert was already experimenting with tin cans. He would seal meat into tin cans that had been soldered shut. Appert would then watch the cans for signs of swelling. This observation phase could last for months. Appert would eventually finalize the process into something akin to modern canning.
By 1806 Appert had honed this process to the point of gaining public recognition. One of the most notable comments came from Grimod de la Reynière. The famous gastronomist told his readers that Appert's canned peas were fresher than what one would find at the height of their season. One can assume the statement carries a hint of hyperbole born of the sheer novelty of preserved vegetables.
Nonetheless, this statement highlights the public's increasing love of canning. This fascination would eventually culminate in Appert finally winning the Society for the Encouragement of Industry's 12,000 franc prize in 1809. The only stipulation was that Appert needed to publish his methods so that the larger public could make full use of them as well. In 1810 Appert would publish this information as "The Art of Preserving for Several Years, all Animal and Vegetable Substances".
The Growth of Both Canning and Science
Appert would continue to innovate even within the chaos of the post-Napoleonic era. Today we can look back and recognize just how much Appert changed the world, but he was in many ways a genius who went unrecognized in his time. His invention quite literally changed the world for the better, but when Appert died in 1841 he was buried in a pauper's grave. Despite his inability to turn a profit on his work, those innovations were spreading all over the world. Even areas as far away as America were canning their delicacies. This led to people having a chance to sample wares from beyond their ocean's shores for the very first time.
Interestingly enough, it would be some time before science was able to fully explain why Appert's canning methods were so effective. About fifty years after Appert's passing Louis Pasteur would discover bacteria and why sterilization could prevent spoilage.
A delay in understanding the science of canning might not be so surprising, but modern audiences are often shocked by the fact that it took some time before can openers became the norm. It's important to keep in mind that canning was originally intended for military use. When people were on the march they always had a blade ready. These implements were easily leveraged to open up tin cans. The public followed in turn with an assumption that this was just how things are done. Can openers were only developed after the public had been using sealed cans for about thirty years.
Moving Into the Modern Era
The Max Ams Machine Company of New York is responsible for the next major innovation in canning. In 1904 the company patented a double-seam canning method which led to even better preservation. This was so effective that we're still using it to this day. Modern machinery can apply the process to over 2,000 cans in a single minute.
Today we have a lot of options for long-term storage and emergency food stock. Modern farming and shipping methods allow us to sample non-perishables from all over the world. New MRE innovations let us enjoy full meals from rations that have sat on our shelves for months, and we seldom need to really worry about food scarcity, but it's worth taking a moment to appreciate the fact that this was all built on a foundation laid down by Nicolas Appert.]]>
People freeze their food for a variety of different reasons. Some people like to do a big meal prep on a regular basis to ensure they always have a fresh cooked meal on hand. Other people take considerable care planning out their family's favorite meals so that there's always a treat waiting at the end of the day. Yet others still might want to keep a well stocked freezer as an emergency food supply.
We all have one question on our minds when we're getting ready to store our food: Just how long will any given item last in the freezer? The short answer is that frozen food will last indefinitely in its most basic form. However, everything we value in our frozen food tends to degrade over time. Food isn't just about filling our belly. We also want to maintain the taste, texture, and nutritional profile of the meal we're storing in the freezer. And all of these factors change on a case by case basis depending on the nature of the individual item. So to answer how long frozen food lasts, we'll need to take a look at some specific examples. But before we do so, it's also important to consider why food degrades in the freezer.
Food degrades at room temperature in large part due to the effects of bacterial growth. Bacteria love a fresh meal just as much as we do. And if food sits around very long, bacterial colonies will start to devour it. Over time these bacteria will excrete waste onto the food, breed more bacteria on it, and generally make it an unappealing sight for humans.
However, bacteria have one major weakness. They can't move around when frozen solid. Make no mistake, a lot of that bacteria might still be alive. But the bacteria are essentially stuck in hibernation. As long as the food is frozen, the bacteria can't really do anything to it. But that doesn't mean our meals are fully protected from damage while in the freezer. It simply means that we've removed the most pressing concern. There's still some major issues that we need to be aware of when storing food in the freezer.
The single biggest problem comes from ice and air. Most of us have heard the term freezer burn before. But the average person isn't very familiar with the exact details of the condition. What is freezer burn and why is it so bad for food?
Freezer burn refers to a phenomenon that occurs when freezing cold air comes into contact with food. The cold air essentially saps moisture from food over time. It's often easy to spot freezer burn by simply looking for ice crystals on food, but many items will also become withered, shriveled, and even discolored as the freezer burn works its magic.
Many foods will also suffer some damage from the initial process of freezing it. This is largely related to moisture content and cellular structure. A freezer isn't just cold, it's cold enough to freeze water. And this includes the water inside food and inside that food's cellular structure. When water freezes, it also expands and can damage whatever was containing it. This is part of why different foods react differently to the freezing process.
All of this illustrates an important point about food stability in the freezer. It's absolutely essential to reduce food's exposure to the cold air. The best way to do this is through freezer wrap or freezer-safe containers. It's fine for a container to have a little air in it, but the important point is to stop any new air from entering into it.
We can do a quick test by just verifying that the container is waterproof. If water can't get into a container from the outside, then air typically won't be able to either. If we keep that practice in mind, then we can generally keep most foods safe and tasty in the freezer for a considerable amount of time. We can generally assume food will stay good, when properly protected, for about three to six months in the freezer. But this rule of thumb can be better understood by looking at specific types of food.
Bread is one of the most freezer friendly foods in the world. We can generally count on it staying fresh, if properly wrapped or sealed in a freezer safe container, for about three months. This isn't the longest duration in the world. But what makes bread special is how quickly it defrosts. We can generally just defrost bread by leaving it at room temperature for about ten minutes.
Keep in mind that some items that are primarily made with bread will last even longer in the freezer. Muffins are particularly impressive. A muffin can stay fresh in our freezer for about six months to a full year. People might notice that there's seldom much need to cycle through cookie dough either. That's because it has an impressive freezer life of about three to six months. If we actually make cookies with it the shelf life extends to about six to eight months.
The main trick with cooked meat is to ensure it's properly cooled off before freezing. If steam is still coming off meat when it's placed in the freezer then it will promote both freezer burn and bacterial growth. As such, it's a good idea to simply wait for the meat to cool to room temperature before wrapping it up for the freezer.
If meat is allowed to properly cool then most meats will stay fresh for about one to two months, though ground meats can last considerably longer. Most ground items will stay fresh for about three to four months. Just watch out for ham. It has the lowest freezer life of any meat - at just one month.
Most raw meat can last for an impressive amount of time in the freezer. Chicken and turkey will typically last for a full year. Steaks and roasts can nearly match that, with a shelf life of about half to a full year in the freezer. Just watch out for bacon. While ham is good for about half a year in the freezer, bacon will only last about a month.
We'll often notice a slight glaze of ice on seafood from the store. This glazing process comes from dipping fish in cold water, freezing it solid, and then repeating the process a few times until there's about 0.25 inches of ice. If we glaze the fish and then store it as we normally would in the freezer then we can usually extend its shelf life.
If we're smoking fish then it typically won't last very long in the freezer — just two months. Lean fish will last about six months, while fatty fish typically stay fresh for about half that time. Shrimp and scallops will last for about three months to half a year. Crab is particularly impressive with a shelf life of ten months, but lobster comes out as the king of the fishy freezer with a shelf life of one full year when properly prepared.
Fruits and vegetables typically last for a very long time in the freezer. However, we can make the most of the process by chopping vegetables before freezing them. It's also a good idea to blanch vegetables before freezing them to stop their internal enzymes from damaging them in storage.
If we take those precautions then berries, apples, bananas cherries, peaches, plums, and most vegetables will last between eight months and a year in the freezer, but citrus fruits, such as oranges, typically only last about three months in the freezer.
Freezing food is a fantastic way to ensure we have fresh food when we need it. However, it's important to keep in mind that emergency situations often knock out the electrical system powering our freezers. That's why it's also a good idea to have emergency food such as an MRE and dry staple items such as beans or rice. It's easy to stay healthy and well fed in an emergency situation when we combine frozen or de-thawing meals, dry staples and a good MRE together into a full meal plan.
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People often approach survival situations from a somewhat generalized perspective. For example, when we consider how to prep for earthquakes we usually look at the averages and extrapolate from there. But it's also important to consider worst case scenarios by studying the most extreme examples in history.
In the case of earthquakes that means looking at the most significant examples in recent history. We can narrow this down by considering a number of factors. An earthquake's metrics typically include fatalities and significant injuries, damage to infrastructure, and the earthquake's magnitude scale. The magnitude scale begins with a 1 as a measure of an earthquake so small that people won't even feel it. Anything above a 6 on the scale is considered a major event. That in mind, what are the five largest modern earthquakes ever recorded?
2010 marked a devastating event in Hati. The earthquake's magnitude hit an even 7.0. This is considered the general baseline for major earthquakes. Normally a 7.0 wouldn't register among the worst of all time. However, this is where we also see one of the often neglected aspects of earthquakes. The earthquake's severity isn't just determined by magnitude alone. There's a number of other factors which emphasize the fact that magnitude scales are only the beginning of the story. For example, we also need to consider where the earthquake's centered.
The same overall force from the earthquake's movement will be experienced very differently in different environments. A flat plain and a major city will interact with that force in different ways to either increase or decrease the overall severity. In this particular instance the 7.0 event was centered around the highly populated and developed area of Port-au-Prince.
Earthquakes in heavily developed areas will usually cause significant damage to the underlying infrastructure. In this case we find that around 1.5 million people were rendered homeless due to the earthquake's damage. The earthquake's initial damage was due to the 7.0 magnitude tremors, but even the aftershocks took a heavy toll on the environment. The aftershocks ranged from a magnitude of 5.5 to 5.9. One of these aftershocks was especially harmful to the nearby town of Petit Goave. An earthquake's scale is really highlighted by the distance between these two areas. Port-au-Prince and Petit Goave are about 35 miles apart from each other. Yet the earthquake's power was so immense that it covered that entire area.
The Great Tangshan Earthquake's magnitude is rated at 7.8. This already places it at the higher end of the magnitude scale. However, the sheer severity of the earthquake's damage comes from another factor we haven't touched on yet. An earthquake's toll on humanity is often mitigated by our preparations.
Earthquakes are always more deadly in areas that aren't expecting them. An area that's experienced multiple earthquakes will usually build with earthquakes in mind. They'll ensure solid infrastructure, perform emergency drills, and might even have an MRE supply in case people are trapped indoors.
At a magnitude of 7.8 we'll typically see some significant damage, even to cities that are prepared for it, but the Chinese city of Tangshan was blissfully unaware of the danger. In fact, much of the city's infrastructure was tied into mining. Between the mining and lack of preparation the city simply wasn't prepared for earthquakes of any severity. Getting hit by a 7.8 quake was just too much for an area with lots of underground work and unreinforced masonry.
The end result is one of the largest death tolls in recorded history. We'll never know exactly how many people died during this event, but it's estimated that as many as 655,000 people died as a result of the earthquake's damage. On top of that, about 700,000 people sustained injuries.
Ancash is a large coastal region in Peru. In 1970 the area was home to several coastal towns and even more villages closer to the Santa River valley. The area is also notable for its proximity to Peru's largest mountain.
Unfortunately, the proximity to Mount Huascaran proved to be extremely unlucky. Most towns in the area weren't constructed with durability in mind. The earthquake's damage alone would have been severe given a magnitude of 7.9. But the strength of those reverberations was enough to set off a landslide from Mount Huascaran.
An avalanche of snow, ice, and dirt rained down from the mountain as the earthquake's reverberations shook anything loose that could move. Two villages, Yungay and Ranrahirea, were mostly lost beneath the landslide. Many of the neighboring villages suffered nearly as badly. In total, the earthquake's damage killed about 70,000 people.
This earthquake's 9.1 magnitude also demonstrates how one natural disaster can create others. People often think of an earthquake's impact as something isolated to land. After all, earth is right there in an earthquake's name. However, the earth covered by water is just as subject to earthquakes as any other area. That's exactly what happened off the coast of Sumatra in 2004.
We've seen how an earthquake's force can cause a landslide. But it can do something similar to water. The earthquakes under the sea around Sumatra set off a tsunami in 2004. This effect didn't just impact Sumatra. It actually reached over the Indian Ocean all the way to East Africa. The waves hitting that shoreline reached heights of up to 30 feet.
This also highlights why it's so important to have an emergency food supply on hand. And it's particularly important to have an MRE supply that can be stored long term. We often plan for the specifics of a disaster, but in a case like this one natural disaster set off a chain of detrimental effects. Some people were hurt by the earthquake's direct impact. Other people faced the fury of the tsunami triggered by the earthquake's effects.
This particular event set off a number of difficult situations, and it's estimated that at least 225,000 people were killed. The fatalities run through a variety of different countries thanks to how widespread that causal chain turned out to be. We always need to carefully plan for the most fundamental aspects of survival when looking at any natural disaster. We can't always know how one event may or may not trigger another, but we can plan for universal needs like food and water.
A 9.5 is the highest magnitude quake ever recorded and in 1960, we saw just what an earthquake which nearly hit the top of the scale could do. It's thought that the earthquake's effects reached a total area of about 621 miles.
In total, 1,655 people died during this event, but as we've seen from other examples, this is only the tip of the iceberg. It's really the impact on people's lives that makes this the most devastating of all known earthquakes. In addition to the fatalities, over two million people were left homeless in the wake of the disaster. To illustrate just how huge that number is, the entire population of New Hampshire only reaches 1.36 million. Imagine the sheer horror of an entire state rendered homeless in a single day.
The quake also triggered a tsunami. Though thankfully the impact here was less severe than we've seen in other quakes. The loss of life was obviously still tragic, but in total only 61 lives were lost as a result of the quake-triggered tsunami.]]>
Food preservation has been a hot topic for most of human history. Food, along with water, is one of the most important components of human life. We can outlast almost any emergency or disaster if we have enough emergency food to see us through to the end. As such, it's little wonder that discussions about disaster preparedness tend to put a heavy emphasis on food.
People generally agree that MREs are a good foundation to build on, but at the same time, it's always a good idea to have a solid plan B. Likewise, some variety is always appreciated in any meal plan. This is where canning comes into the discussion. Most of us have at least a glancing familiarity with canning, even if not in the context of survival food.
Anyone who's ever opened up a jar of pickles has seen just how well the method can keep food fresh. But there's far more to this storage method than just pickles. In fact, we can use this technique to store a wide variety of different foods for a considerable length of time. But there's also quite a few things we need to keep in mind when preparing canned food. It's a useful addition to other long-term food solutions, but not a replacement.
The first thing we need to look at is canning's method of action. Just how does putting food into a jar keep it fresh for an extended period of time? The answer comes from the methods used to seal the jars.
The real secret to our procedure is heat. We'll examine several different canning methods, but all of them have one thing in common. An effective method uses heat to preserve the food within the jar. The higher the temperature, the better our results.
Think about why food goes bad in the first place. Most of the issues with food spoilage comes from microorganisms. Microorganisms such as mold and bacteria can be found on almost everything in the world, but these tiny lifeforms usually don't pose much of a threat to us. If we eat any of them, it's in such a small quantity that our bodies can easily handle it.
If microorganisms have a chance to grow, then they can start to present a real danger. The organisms themselves can be poisonous, and on top of that, the microorganisms will excrete waste products that are often quite toxic to humans. Any food left sitting around can provide an easy meal to bacteria. The end result is that any food left out for a while will eventually start to decay as bacteria eat and excrete on top of it.
Refrigerators preserve food because the colder temperature slows bacterial growth. Bacteria can still taint food when it's in a refrigerator, but food stored in the fridge will stay fresh far longer than it would on our shelf. We see something similar, but far more effective, with canning.
Instead of slowing bacterial growth, canning seeks to outright prevent it. This process uses heat to sterilize a jar's contents. Sterilization is accomplished in two different, but equally important, ways. First, the heat will kill any microorganisms that might be present within the jar or on the food.
The second method is a little more subtle. We can once again think back to the example of a pickle jar. We usually hear a popping sound when we open up a jar of pickles for the first time. This sound comes from air rushing in to fill the jar. We create that same effect when canning food. The heating process removes oxygen from within the jar, and most harmful bacteria need oxygen just as much as we do.
Finally, some foods have their own natural defenses against microorganisms. Acidic foods such as fruit can create an environment that's inhospitable to most microorganisms. This wouldn't be enough to stop bacteria on its own, but acidity can be a powerful addition to the primary forms of sterilization.
These methods work in tandem to sterilize the contents of a jar. First, the heat kills off most of the microorganisms that might have been lurking on the jar or already eating the food. The heating process will also remove most of the oxygen within the jar. The resulting vacuum is highly inhospitable to most forms of life. On top of that, natural acidity in some foods will help fight off any microorganisms that have managed to survive the above.
Canning food will protect it from the vast majority of microorganisms, but there's one particular form of bacteria that deserves special attention. The biggest threat to canned food comes from something known as clostridium botulinum. Anyone eating food infested with this bacteria has a good chance of contracting botulism.
Clostridium botulinum is both dangerous and extraordinarily persistent. The bacteria can stay alive at temperatures that would kill most other microorganisms. What's worse, it can produce spores that will survive even if the bacteria itself doesn't. Once temperatures return to normal, these spores can grow into new bacteria.
There is some good news for anyone worried about clostridium botulinum. Temperatures above 240 degrees Fahrenheit will even kill the bacteria's spores. What's more, the spores are highly susceptible to acidic environments, so if we're preserving foods with a pH level under 4.6, then we typically don't have as much to worry about. With that said, there's one important catch to the temperature used to can food. Stove tops generally only heat jars to a little over 212 F, but with that in mind, we do have ways of getting around a wide variety of different problems by using different methods to can food.
Boiling water doesn't require any special utilities. All we need are a stove, jars, and some water. The main point to keep in mind is that the jars need to be completely covered in boiling water to properly seal and sterilize their contents. Unfortunately, as previously noted, a stove typically won't heat water enough to kill clostridium botulinum spores. Because of that fact, it's best to only use the boiling water method with highly acidic foods that can resist the bacteria on their own. We can also help this process along by adding a little lemon juice to the boiling water. The lemon-infused water can help acidify the food even more.
A steam canner uses steam to heat and sterilize our jars. This is slightly neater when compared to simply using boiling water. Like boiling, the steaming method won't raise the jar's temperature high enough to kill clostridium botulinum spores. This makes steaming a slightly more user friendly way to can food. But it's the least effective of the three options for preparing a wide variety of emergency food items.
Finally, we have the easiest and most effective method to can food. A pressure canner works in a similar way as pressure cookers. The device heats a small amount of water to the steaming point. The newly generated steam creates pressure in the pot. This increased pressure pushes the boiling point of water high enough to kill clostridium botulinum spores.
The only downside to this method is that it requires a pressure canner. However, the small investment provides the only safe and reliable method to safely can foods with low acidity. A pressure canner can safely preserve meat, vegetables, seafood and almost anything else, and of course it can handle anything with higher levels of acidity too. Canning is a great addition to anyone's skill set, but if we're really serious about using it to prepare survival food, then a pressure canner is a solid investment.
Canning food is a great method to extend its shelf life. Unfortunately, it isn't very portable or rugged when it comes to natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and other events. MREs are a great food source to add to your supply for a food source that can be consumed and taken anywhere. For more information check out our Meal Kit Supply 12 Pack to learn more about our MREs and how they're perfect for long-term food storage.
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How would you survive if you found yourself stranded on a desert island? It's a thought experiment that dates back into antiquity. There's just something about the most extreme survival situations which captures the imagination. The second we hear about the concept, we begin to think about how we'd fight against seemingly incalculable odds to survive the impossible. However, are those odds really so incalculable?
Do we know just how long we'd be able to survive without food? And does that data hold out into various real world situations rather than just clinical or laboratory settings? We can begin answering these questions by looking at the exact nature of food.
What, exactly, is food? This might seem like a foolish question at first. We typically eat three or more times per day. And we repeat that pattern for almost every single day of our lives. The nature of food seems obvious. It's the stuff we eat that hopefully tastes good while sating our hunger. But dirt could fill our stomachs and sate hunger pangs. It wouldn't be able to keep us alive for very long though. So it wouldn't qualify as food.
Food is essentially a mix of complex nutrients that our body can use as fuel to keep itself going. The exact nutrients required by human life consist of an exhaustive laundry list of complex chemical formulas, but we can simplify this by saying food is essentially a combination of calories, protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals. Food also needs to be in a form that our body can properly break down in order to get at those nutrients. For example, grass does contain nutrients. But we don't really consider it food because the human stomach can't break it down to actually get at those important components, whereas a cow's powerful digestive system can break down grass in order to obtain the plant's nutrients.
It's also important to keep in mind that different foods will carry different ratios of nutrients. This is the items' nutritional profile. No food has every single nutrient that we need to stay alive. But some, such as potatoes, come very close. Outside of nature we can also mix and match ingredients to create food that has an impressive nutritional profile. An MRE (meal ready to eat) and similar survival food is an example of this concept taken to the extreme. A lot of science has gone into creating MRE packages that provide almost everything needed to stay alive while also providing a stable shelf life. And the average package puts a heavy emphasis on some of the more important nutrients.
Calories are one of the most important aspects of survival food. Lack of most nutrients will kill us eventually, but lack of calories will typically take us out long before we're seriously impacted by other missing nutrients.
The importance of calories is true for both meals carried by soldiers trekking through difficult conditions and those stored in storm shelters. Difficult times call for calories. Easy times also call for calories, but allow for much lower levels. The very fact that survival food is heavy on calories gives us our first hint about how well we can live without any food at all.
Our body uses something called glucose as its preferred and primary fuel. Glucose is essentially just sugar. This is also why foods that we typically call "empty calories" are usually sugary. When we eat sugar we're essentially providing our body with its most fundamental element. Scientists believe that this is why we like the taste of sugar so much. We have a strong instinct to devour this important nutritional element when we find it in abundance.
Glucose is such an important aspect of our biology that we can only go about a day without it before things start to go wrong. We typically use up our glucose reserves after about twenty-four hours with no food. At this point our body starts to release something called glucagon into circulation. This element initiates gluconeogenesis within our liver. During gluconeogenesis our body creates glucose without the need for outside elements. However, this process isn't something that our bodies can keep up with forever.
We can think of gluconeogenesis as somewhat analogous to backup power in a building. Backup power keeps things going in a normal manner for a while. But eventually, the building needs to switch over to something else in order to maintain functionality. Likewise, our body needs to move on from gluconeogenesis by the second or third day without food.
When our body can't maintain gluconeogenesis much longer we start to transition to the use of adipose tissue. In plain language, this is essentially burning fat. One pound of fat is roughly comparable to about 3,500 calories. An adult man will typically need somewhere around 2,500 calories per day. This might seem like an ideal solution at first glance. After all, just one pound of fat is more than the average man needs for a full day of survival.
However, it's important to keep in mind that fat isn't the ideal fuel source for our bodies. Our brains in particular work far more efficiently with glucose than the ketones produced by burning fat reserves. But this does start to give us a way to estimate some of the basics of long-term survival though.
We'll automatically get a free pass of a day or two thanks to gluconeogenesis. But past that point, we'd burn fat to stay alive. For the sake of convenience we'll go with a fairly average adult male as a starting point for our math. It's important to keep in mind that this is a very generalized estimate. We find a huge amount of variation in body types even within the same gender, and things get even more complicated if we're differentiating between men and women. But with that in mind, we can start with a man who's five feet and nine inches tall.
A sedentary 5'9 male will usually have a base weight, without fat, of around 125 lbs or so. Beyond that weight will come from a mix of fat and muscle. We'll say that he has about 50 lbs of fat. This would equal out to about 175,000 calories. This would, in turn, be roughly enough for 70 days, but that's not the end of the story. Once fat reserves have been used up, our body switches over to protein obtained from muscle tissue.
Burning protein might seem like a great fallback at first. After all, our gains at the gym don't matter very much when compared with just staying alive. Unfortunately, we use muscle for a lot more than lifting things. Our hearts, for example, are also primarily composed of muscle tissue. When we start metabolizing muscle, we also start to break down our own heart. As we burn muscle, a domino effect begins to take place.
Loss of various functions in one part of the body trigger losses in another. Again, the heart in particular is a huge part of this process. Decreased heart function can disrupt almost all other parts of the body. At some point in this process we'll finally die.
In general, we can say that a fairly sedentary, slightly overweight person can live a little over seventy days without food, but it's important to keep in mind that we can't just depend on raw numbers. A lot of other factors can make survival more questionable.
Lack of excess fat is one of the biggest issues. If someone has a weak heart, or other medical problems, they might not last nearly as long as someone who was healthy at the start, and women typically benefit from a higher percentage of stored fat and lower caloric requirements.
We should also take a moment to consider just how valuable nutrient-dense items, such as emergency food, can be. It's always a good idea to stock up on emergency food supplies like MREs in case of an emergency. They're typically about 1,200 calories per serving. That's a big difference when staving off the point where we start to burn muscle! Knowing how long we can live without food is an interesting thought experiment. But it's a much more useful concept if we can plan for ways to ensure we never experience starvation in the first place.
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Some elements of survival in the great outdoors have become common knowledge over the years. For example, even someone with the most cursory knowledge of the wilderness will typically know about the importance of an MRE or basic water filter, but some of the most vital parts of surviving in the wilderness under rough conditions often seem too complex for the average person to master. Chief among them are emergency shelters, but the following four examples will demonstrate how easily we can create a shelter with hardly any time or materials to work with.
The wedge tarp is something of an all-in-one emergency shelter solution. It's seldom going to be the absolute best option. But what it lacks in exceptional benefits it more than makes up for in ease of construction. The wedge tarp basically needs little more than, well, a simple tarp.
When people think about using a tarp for emergency situations they'll typically imagine something that's little more than a blanket. And it's true that if we put a tarp underneath us and use the top as a blanket that it will offer some benefits. This is sometimes known as a tarp burrito. But this really won't offer more than a very basic level of protection. It's good for preserving body heat and staying reasonably dry, but not much more. A few extra steps can take that tarp from a mild help to a vital part of wildness survival.
To begin with, we'll need to tie down a minimum of five points on the tarp. In a pinch, we can get by without actual cords, but it's always best to shop for tarps with metal rings that can be used with cords. Likewise, we should always have some cords with us when heading out into nature. Like the tarp itself, cords are lightweight tools that provide a wealth of benefits.
To make the wedge, we'll need to begin by staking down two corners into the direction of the oncoming wind. On the opposite side of the tarp, we'll tie up another line. Then tie the last two corners to the ground. As the name suggests, this creates a basic wedge structure from the tarp. This form factor has some inherent benefits.
The first benefit comes from the tarp's material. This structure will block both wind and rain simply because it's made from a tarp. Weather resistance is built right into the material. This means that we've got a good barrier against rainstorms. If the tarp is thick enough, it can even hold up under hail. If the rain is too intense we can also dig basins or furrows to channel water.
By this point, it should be clear just how important tarps are when we're out in nature. We've seen how they can help in wet and windy conditions. But what about the exact opposite? It's true, if we find ourselves in a dry and arid environment then a tarp can be our best friend. We can use that tarp to easily construct a desert tarp shelter.
First, it's important to secure the basic materials like cords. Sure, we might be able to fashion makeshift cords or ropes, but as with the earlier example, it's always best to carry some with us when we're already bringing along a tarp. As long as we have that, and can find some sticks or rods, then we've got an easy way to make a strong protective barrier against the heat.
Imagine the structure of a taco shell. We just need to construct a similar form factor with the tarp. This involves securing four edges of the tarp with cords to create a suspension that serves as a roof. Then we just need to fold the rest of the tarp over it and secure those four edges as well. The end result is a tarp covering over the tarp which serves as our roof. The utility of this dual fold might not seem obvious at first.
Think about how surfaces are heated. The sun hits that first tarp layer and heats it up. But that heat dissipates below it and is carried away in the air. The next tarp layer is fully shaded by the upper tarp layer. This essentially creates a shaded spot similar to what we'd find in a forested area. Keep in mind that the protection isn't just good for comfort. It's also a solid way of helping keep food chilled and safe for as long as possible. Though of course if we're using an MRE then temperature really isn't a concern.
We've seen how to create shelters in the desert. But what about a situation where we're stuck in the freezing cold? It turns out that a quinzhee, something like a snow igloo, is fairly easy to make if we have the right tools.
By this point, it should come as no surprise to find a tarp as one of these tools. However, building a quinzhee is a somewhat more involved experience. We'll ideally have the standards of a tarp and cords, but we'll also want to use the backpack those supplies came in. Ideally, we'd also have some solid waterproof gloves to use when working with the snow.
We basically just need to pack snow around a solid foundation created with the tarp, backpack and any other gear that we have along for the trip. We begin by creating a basic structure by piling up the gear and draping the tarp over it. The more material under the tarp the better since this is going to be the shelter's interior.
Next, we simply need to pack snow around and over the tarp. It should be firmly packed, and about two feet thick. Finally, we need to lay out long sticks or rods a little taller than our standing height. We drive these sticks in around the dome we've constructed. These sticks will serve as marker points. From this point on it's just a matter of digging out the side of the new structure to remove the supplies.
If everything's gone right then the structure's integrity will persist. A little hole in the top will ensure proper ventilation. This is especially important as airflow can be a concern when using snow or ice for safety. People often make that mistake when simply trying to dig into a snowbank rather than making a quinzhee. The resulting snow cave system is one of the more dangerous structures. In fact, a snow cave can easily bring as much danger as it does safety. Meanwhile, a quinzhee is easy to construct and won't pose any air quality issues as long as we remember that hole.
We can finish up the environmental comparisons with a more generalized climate. What if we're stuck in the wilderness with just the general issues of nature itself to contend with? We might not know if we'll need to worry about too much sun or too much rain. In that case, a tarp wing is generally the best bet.
To construct a tarp wing we once again begin with a standard tarp. We just need to find or create multiple elevated anchors for the tarp's points. Then we tie up opposite corners of the tarp. Two of them will be in the lower position and two in the higher. This creates a shape that looks a little like a wing or sail.
We can make this even more comfortable by creating a bough bed underneath the wing. This is just a collection of softer natural materials like leaves, grass, boughs or any other soft material. We just need to stay alert for any insects or small animals when putting the bedding together.
Ideally, a situation would not arise where it is necessary to construct a shelter to survive in the elements, but by being prepared with some basic supplies and knowledge, it could make all the difference in survival.
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There's something inherently romantic about the life of a pirate. Today we typically look at the open seas as a place of unlimited freedom. It's quite common for people to dream of retiring someday to sail the open seas. And we certainly see people who've made their fortunes at a young age doing the same.
But consider just how appealing the life of a pirate was in its heyday. A pirate didn't have to worry about retirement or earning a living. We usually think of them as living entirely off the seal with a pirate's gold coming from the coffers of pilfered ships and their meals coming from the ocean. That might be the case for their fortune, but a pirate's diet was considerably different from what we typically assume and being an actual pirate was a far harsher reality than what you see in popular culture.
To begin, a pirate didn't see the ocean as a bountiful and endless cornucopia. In fact, the average pirate really didn't eat all that much seafood. It might seem like an odd choice to a modern person dreaming of life at sea. But the world of a pirate in the 1700s was quite different than what we see today. When we think about fishing at sea we tend to think about catching hundreds of fish at a time. But a pirate was using far more primitive methods to find food at sea.
Think about how much fish we'd catch while relaxing on a lake. If we dedicate a lot of time to the task then we'll typically catch enough for a meal or two. But the typical pirate ship was pressed for time. They were operating large ships under difficult conditions. What's more, the typical pirate crew is far smaller than we typically imagine. It was common for pirate ships to only have a crew of about twenty people.
These small crews didn't simply need to keep the ship moving either. The crew also needed to continually stay on guard for natural dangers, other pirates, and potential victims. All of these factors mean that fishing just wasn't a very good use of the ship's human resources.
The only real exception to a lack of seafood was the occasional sea turtle. These animal's impressive size and slow pace made for an abundant feast when they were spotted. So what did pirates live on while at sea? The answer typically comes down to a few different categories with a heavy emphasis on nonperishables.
Of course, none of those restrictions were in place during the first few weeks at sea. In fact, this period was something of a vacation for most pirates. At this point the crew was typically well rested. Crewmen would often sign on to new ships at various ports. This would often mean that crews might not have set foot on a ship in months. At this point in their journey, a pirate was usually filled with the spirit of adventure that we typically associate with the profession. The food at sea was usually immensely varied at this point.
Almost anything that wouldn't go bad in a matter of hours would be consumed during these first few weeks. The crew would often bring along their own favorites, and the general stock for the ship would be filled with items such as fresh meat, fruit, vegetables and dairy. Unfortunately for the pirate ship's crew, this fare would tend to go bad fairly quickly.
We might think of all of these items as something which doesn't really stand up to the test of time. But keep in mind that pirate ships didn't have any real system of refrigeration. Nor did they have access to modern preservatives. Worse, they typically sailed in areas with extremely warm temperatures. All of these factors led to food going bad even faster than it would in the modern world.
The perishable items were enjoyed quickly and with considerable enthusiasm. Any experienced pirate knew what they had ahead of them. As such, they ate the perishable items with a gusto that any of us would envy. We might think of a pirate eating, drinking and making merry. In those early days, they certainly did make the most of their stock. After a certain point the fresh perishables would start to go bad, but they also had a renewable source of fresh meat and dairy which would last for a while.
We don't usually associate ships and animals. But the average pirate ship usually had a variety of livestock on board. Chickens, cows and even goats were typically found on pirate ships. The livestock served multiple purposes.
Chickens were a great source of eggs. Meanwhile, the cows and goats could provide a pirate crew with abundant dairy. And when the time came, those same animals offer a chance to eat fresh meat again for a while. Animal bones could even be used for surprisingly nourishing soups. The animals could themselves partake of dried food meant for long-term storage. And in here we find the main bulk of a pirate's diet.
It's really the nonperishable items that were key to a pirate's long-term survival at sea. We've already seen that these items were used by livestock. But the average pirate would also partake of a wide variety of food amenable to long-term storage. In fact, many of these items are familiar to people who have a well stocked pantry today.
The main difference between a pirate's stock and a modern pantry is that a pirate didn't have access to an MRE or similar nutrient-dense package. A lot of work has gone into ensuring that an MRE has everything needed to keep people not just alive, but also healthy. On top of this, the 1700s didn't really have a solid understanding of nutrition. This left some big holes in their nutrient profile. In particular, the crew of a pirate ship were often lacking in vitamin C.
But what they did have is access to protein and calories from their nonperishable stock. The protein typically came from a few important sources. Dried meats, like jerky, were extremely popular. But dried plants could offer up a surprising amount of protein as well. Beans were a major item on pirate ships. Beans and other pulses also ensured that the average pirate had some fiber in their diet. Fruits and vegetables tended to go bad fairly early on in a voyage. As such, the fiber from pulses became a very important part of a pirate's diet. The protein-heavy nonperishables were further enhanced by various grains.
A pirate would usually have an option to eat hardtack too. Hardtack is perhaps best known to modern readers as a staple item during the American Civil War. But this important, if often reviled, food was also found on pirate ships. It was usually only eaten when other supplies were growing scarce. It's easy to see why that's the case. Hardtack itself is only made with flour, water and sometimes salt. It tends to be fairly dry and tasteless. And hardtack might become so hard that it was difficult to chew. On top of all that, insects would often find their way into hardtack supplies due to the fact that it went untouched for a long time.
Of course a pirate's life is primarily defined by piracy. This means that a pirate crew could expect to occasionally fill their stock with whatever another ship might have on hand. And while seafood wasn't a staple of a pirate's diet, they might still have the occasional haul of fresh food from the open water. Even sea turtle eggs could find their way onto the menu if a pirate happened to spot a likely source.
In the end, many of their preferences make a lot of sense even in a modern context. For example, the pirate's emphasis on beans and other pulses is a wise choice for anyone who can't restock their supplies on a regular basis. The main difference for modern sailors comes down to the availability of MREs. These items take care of both nutrition and taste at the same time. It also makes up for any nutritional gaps provided by standard nonperishables.
We also have easier access to dried fruits than the sailors of the 1700s. The ready supply of citrus and vitamin-C-rich foods would be the envy of any pirate. Between a wider variety of beans, MREs and dried fruits it's easy to see why the modern sailor has it much easier than the pirate crews of old.
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YouTube isn't what most people think of when talking about the great outdoors. If anything, we usually head out into nature to get away from modern technology. However, in reality YouTube is one of the greatest resources ever created for survivalists, outdoorsmen, preppers, and anyone who wants to really explore untamed spaces. Some of the most adventurous people on earth have taken the time to record their experiences and share it with the rest of the world. While there's a wealth of worthwhile channels, we'll take an in-depth look at five of the most unique and informative survivalists on YouTube.
It's no exaggeration to say that David Canterbury is one of the defining voices of survivalist videos on YouTube. He covers just about everything someone would need to know in order to thrive in any outdoor setting. One of the things that sets Canterbury apart from similar channels is his refusal to simply accept conventional wisdom. It's clear that he isn't just learning factoids and tossing them back out to the public. When he hears about survival information, he really puts it to the test. If the survival strategies are lacking, then it's almost a given that Canterbury will work on refining it or creating a better alternative.
Another part of his charm comes from an ability to turn complex situations into easy-to-understand strategies. For example, in his "Hygiene from Fire" video he lays out how a tiny lighter can provide everything from antibacterial protection to dental care. And his "10 C’s of survival" teaches people how to create the perfect 10-item survival pack.
Prepping channels pose a particular challenge. There's really no set limit on how well prepared someone should be. Should we have enough MRE and other essentials on hand to survive for a year, or would it be better to prepare for half a decade or more? Some channels don't show nearly enough foresight, while others hit the opposite extreme and envision scenarios that are unlikely at best. This is where the Sensible Prepper comes in.
This channel is all about taking a balanced, practical and sensible approach to prepping. One aspect of this philosophy involves looking to the historical record to better predict the future. The channel often touches on real-world survival challenges from the past such as the Oregon Trail.
The channel also examines survival issues that often go under the radar. For example, the channel looks at economic issues like inflation and concerns over an upcoming economic crash. This isn't presented in a fearmongering tone either. When potential issues for the future come up, the channel usually offers practical plans to ensure people's safety.
My Self-Reliance documents how Shawn James has made a life for himself within the calm tranquility of a log cabin. Most people have dreamt of creating just such a life for themselves. What would it be like to just head out into the wilderness with little more than a dog, a dream for a new life, and some practical experience?
A description like that brings up a lot of assumptions. People typically assume a channel like this would detail a step-by-step recreation of Henry David Thoreau's famous experiment in solitary contemplation, and it's true that Shawn James has a similar appreciation for nature. But make no mistake, James is very much a product of the 21st century.
Perhaps the most amazing thing about the My Self-Reliance channel is how well James builds on the basic concept of a cabin in the woods. It's an age-old concept, but he adds in quite a few modern elements, and in some cases he even pushes past the technological or sociological limits we see in our own cities. For example, imagine weaving through the woods without seeing a soul. But then, in the distance, we see the oddly rounded edges of a geodesic dome.
A futuristic dome in the wilderness might seem like something out of science fiction, but it's just the reality which James has constructed for himself. And his geodesic greenhouse is only the tip of the engineering iceberg. James has made something truly unique, and anyone interested in off the grid living or survivalist philosophy will find a treasure trove of inspiration in these videos. The channel certainly provides a lot of ideas which we can implement within our own lives, but perhaps the greatest tool is his can-do attitude and ability to make seemingly impossible ideas a reality.
Vagrent Holiday is a very different take on survivalist strategies than most of the other items on this list. At first glance, it might seem more like a travel channel than something focused on surviving in difficult environments, but the unnamed host sets himself up against environments just as — or sometimes even more — dangerous than seen in channels focusing entirely on the wilderness. The vagrant travels in unfamiliar countries while forgoing niceties like hotels, restaurants or hostels.
The Vagrant instead sleeps under the stars or in any abandoned buildings he might stumble upon. The format balances outdoor survival in the periphery of towns and cities while also teaching a lot about urban survival. This also helps to show how other humans can factor into survival situations. For example, he not only needs to keep his supplies hidden from animals but other people as well.
This sociological element is often touched on in videos from various preppers. But the way other people impact survival concerns is usually just a mental experiment. We can wonder about what we'd do if everyone we saw wanted to take our MRE rations, but in the end it just comes down to our own assumptions and theories. Vagrant Holiday takes theory into practice as the host enters into situations where his possessions, and on occasion even his own life, are put at risk from other people. The channel as a whole does a fantastic job of showing how the entire planet can be seen as an experiment in survivalist adventure.
Ghost Town Living focuses on one man's experiences living in the town of Cerro Gordo. Now, living in a town might not seem like much of an exercise in survival. But the twist comes from the fact that this town has been abandoned for over 100 years. Living in an abandoned ghost town would be difficult enough. But it's even more fraught with danger thanks to the fact that it borders Death Valley.
Brent Underwood's self-appointed mission is to bring the town back to life. Part of this has involved restoring or improving the 1860s era utilities. He's also needed to bring in animals to help control pests and contribute to his basic supplies. On top of this, Underwood is also intensely curious about the area.
Brent's videos document explorations ranging from testing flashlight strength in the depths of abandoned mines to finding some of the world's oldest trees in the neighboring desert. Not to mention how often he's found himself trapped or lost in the midst of dangerous conditions. We also see how precious and tenuous such basics as water can be for someone living alone in an intensely hot environment. These concerns ramp up even further as more living beings come to depend on him.
It's true that the basic infrastructure of a 19th century town is in place. But bringing it back into a working state is both an adventure and a labor of love. It takes the idea of building a wilderness habitat on one's own to a whole new level. Brent isn't just trying to construct a building. He's essentially trying to build, or rebuild, an entire town. It's a daunting prospect to be sure. However, his channel highlights just how powerful raw enthusiasm and a love of the natural world can be.
If there is one thing these survivalists have in common, it is staying calm and preparing for the worst pragmatically. MREs (Meals Ready To Eat), have a 5-year shelf life and can be prepared anywhere. They have long been one of the optimal choices for survivalists and the military alike. To learn more about our premium 12-pack MREs visit our shop page for detailed information including nutritional details and full menus.
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Camping, hiking, and everything related to the great outdoors can be an amazing experience. It's a chance to leave all the worries of the modern world behind for a while. But that relaxation requires some significant planning, and a major part of which is deciding what you will bring to eat.
Even experienced campers will sometimes make mistakes when packing their meals. One of the biggest issues is that the modern world has changed food from a huge concern to an afterthought. Most of us can grab some food at any point in the day without much effort.
For many people, camping may be the first time that they can't count on a continual supply of food from convenient sources. That's why it is so important to plan out your meals for camping trips accordingly.
There are a few important things to consider when packing your food for a camping trip. Space and weight are two of the most important points. You'll almost certainly need to carry all of our supplies at some point in the trip. Think about all of the food in a pantry or fridge. Now imagine trying to carry those supplies on your back. You need to focus on keeping your food light and compact.
We also need to make sure that your food won't go bad. Coolers can keep food fresh for a little while, but in general, the amount of space taken up by a cooler just isn't compatible with longer. more remote outdoor experiences. It's just not a very good return on the amount of effort required to move it around. Anything that requires a cool temperature, such as the food in our fridge or freezer, just isn't well suited to outdoor storage.
You also need to consider how filling a meal is. This takes most junk food off the table. Even fairly compact junk food, like a candy bar, isn't very filling. Junk food isn't called empty calories for nothing. Most of it is digested pretty quickly and doesn't have the protein, fiber, and other nutrition needed to satiate us. The same goes for the vast majority of cereals.
Finally, you also have to consider taste. It is ultimately subjective, but finding food portable, lightweight, and isn't just a utilitarian experience can be challenging. You should be able to enjoy your meals while outdoors the same way you enjoy any other part of the experience.
We need food that's portable, won't go bad and has the nutrients which will keep us fed and content. There is one type of meal that's specifically designed to meet all of those points. They're called MREs, or meals ready to eat.
Most people aren't very familiar with the modern MRE. These meal kits were originally designed by the United States Department of Defense for its armed forces. MREs were first rolled out for US troops in Vietnam. These packages were a huge improvement over prior military rations. Before MREs, combat rations were almost entirely utilitarian. Taste was hardly even an afterthought.
The first MREs were designed with a different mindset. Researchers realized that taste was an important part of any meal. People will often only eat a portion of a meal if it doesn't taste very good. This leaves them unprepared for the physically trying experiences ahead of them.
What's more, suffering through unpalatable tastes can take a huge toll on morale. The Department of Defense was determined to create the perfect meal for troops. And they were finally able to solve the flavoring problem with MREs. Some of the flavors were so good that they changed the entire countries preferences. For example, hot sauce was a common addition to MREs. This may well be one of the reasons why it became a popular condiment in the US.
Of course, there's more to a meal than just taste. The MREs sent out to Vietnam also contained everything an active individual would need to stay healthy and sated. A single MRE contained everything we could want in a meal. They contained enough protein and calories to fuel even the most grueling hikes through the wilderness.
What's more, the MREs had a shelf life of about five years. This made MREs a perfect survival food. And people would start to leverage MREs as survival food for any difficult environment. Today, people commonly stock MREs as a precaution against natural disasters. And all of these points hit the issues we face when packing for a camping trip.
Going through the Department of Defense's reasoning we can see almost every point that we've had to keep in mind when considering a campsite. The reason why troopers needed to march through Vietnam is obviously very different than a modern-day vacation. But the requirements aren't much different from setting up a camp of our own.
The MREs satisfy our requirements for taste, nutrition, satiety, and weight. MREs will often even come complete with extra utilities. For example, some MREs are self-heating. Others might come with eating utensils. But in general, they all adhere to one important point. MREs are designed around the needs of people who are working hard in outdoor environments.
Finally, there are a few additional points to consider when looking at MREs for a camp. One of the biggest is that there's a big difference between a relaxing day in the woods and a hike. The average adult man, when sedentary, needs about 2,400 calories and the average woman needs about 2,000. That equals out to about two rather than three MREs. We can typically save even more space by just going with two real meals from MREs and a light snack in between.
If we go this route then we can also add in some items to further balance out the MRE's nutritional profile. For example, raisins have a shelf life of about six months to a year. They also have a large amount of extra fiber. So using them as a snack between two main courses of MREs would be a good fit for most outdoorsmen.
We should also put some care into mixing up the flavors. Again, it's important to make sure that we're enjoying ourselves. If the point of a trip is relaxation then we should be able to enjoy each meal. This usually means having a wide selection of different flavors for our MREs. We'd ideally want to make sure that we don't eat the same flavor twice in any given day.
If we keep all of these points in mind then packing for a trip should be a quick and easy process. Items such as clothing and shelter are usually a lot easier to manage than nutrition. But once we know where our next meal is coming from we can finally relax and enjoy the great outdoors.
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Spring may have officially started, but many regions of the U.S. and Canada are still vulnerable to severe weather. Spring is often one of the most unpredictable weather seasons. Winter storms can still occur even if winter is over. One contributing factor to an active spring is La Niña.
We've all been there at one time or another. We're watching TV or browsing the Internet only to find out about a huge natural disaster. It's in those moments that we truly remember just how powerful nature really is. As a society we've become so confident in our infrastructure that we tend to forget how quickly it can fail. Likewise, we're usually unprepared for the sheer ferocity of the world when we lose power or shelter during a natural disaster. It’s only when we see people struggling against those difficult conditions that we're reminded of the world's true nature.
However, most of us move on to the next distraction fairly quickly. We change the channel or follow a link to the next item in the day's news cycle, but we should instead take a moment to consider the lives of people who've struggled against natural disasters like severe storms. At some point, every one of them was glancing over and forgetting stories about natural disasters in exactly the same way we were.
They too were well aware of how difficult it can be to struggle against natural disasters. But, like us, they probably shrugged and assumed that it could never happen to them or their families. Likewise, it can happen to us. All of us are equally at risk from natural disasters of one type or another, but at the same time, we all have the ability to mitigate our risks by preparing for worst case scenarios. So how would we prepare for natural disaster?
The first thing to keep in mind is that we can't put off our preparations. People often assume that storms will come with enough advance warning to stock up before things get too bad. People think of earthquakes and tornadoes as inherently unpredictable. But the same is true of storms. The weather forecasts will suggest that an especially bad patch of weather is on the way. But we seldom know when the worst storms are going to happen until we’re right in the middle of them.
One of the more dangerous aspects of a storm is how it combines multiple threats into a singular whole, and this is in large part what makes it so unpredictable. Take the heavy winds as a good example. Heavy winds will often cause a tree's limbs, or even an entire tree, to fall. All it takes is one tree in the right location to take out an area's power or Internet service.
Likewise, it's very easy for winds and rain to cause landslides and take out a single road. This can slow down or even stop traffic. Wind alone will often take out both communication with the outside world, heat, power and even the ability to drive out for supplies. But that’s only one component of a storm.
The issue is further compounded by the cold temperatures. This year's La Niña pattern is occurring due to Pacific Ocean waters that are cooler than normal, which has an influence on the jet stream and storm systems. Many regions of the U.S. can expect cold temperatures and storm conditions longer than usually expected.
Even without blocked roads we'll usually see traffic become slower and far more dangerous due to the bad weather conditions. A road is often only as safe as the worst driver on it. And automotive accidents are virtually a given during storms. This too tends to restrict our ability to drive out for supplies or help.
Finally, it's important to keep in mind that both the roads and power grids we rely on are probably far older than we'd expect. The infrastructure of most areas was installed in the boom of the 1950s. Infrastructure that's been around for over seventy years is usually quite fragile. All of this comes together to create one solid fact. Storms are usually going to take out both roads and power. The rough conditions ensure that most of us won't even be able to walk out to a store to restock supplies. Not to mention that most stores would be closed anyway. So how can we plan against such difficult conditions?
It's best to prioritize our plans against the most dangerous threats. During a storm warmth is usually the number one concern. The outside temperatures can be freezing and we'll most likely end up losing power. Homes with a fireplace are ideally suited to weathering out a storm. However, even then we need to prepare in advance by always having a few days worth of fuel on hand. We should always cultivate a habit of restocking wood or other fuel as we use it.
Next, keep in mind that many sources of warmth also pose risks of carbon monoxide poisoning. Any extended severe weather will usually have casualties stemming from unsafe attempts to stay warm. This can range from trying to use a car to stay warm, using portable heaters, gas stoves and unventilated power generators. The culprit in these cases is carbon monoxide. The gas is called a silent killer for good reason. It's invisible, odorless and deadly. Anything which generates carbon monoxide should only be used outdoors.
We also want to decide on the warmest room in our home. This will ideally be away from any windows or direct contact with the outside. It's also best if the room has carpet to offer some additional insulation. You should plan to have a solid source of light in the room as well as water. On top of this we should put some warm clothing and blankets aside specifically for cold weather during a power outage. Small emergency radio and crank powered USB charging devices can be kept there as well. This will let us keep in touch with the state of things while also providing a small amount of power for entertainment.
The next priority should be emergency food and water. A natural disaster can cause water pipes to freeze and even burst. As such we can’t simply assume that we’ll have a steady supply of water from the nearest sink.
Water filters used for camping can be an effective if time consuming alternative. However, simply keeping some bottled water on hand with our blankets and warm clothing is the easiest option.
Food is a little more tricky since it can go bad fairly quickly. What's more, we have to assume a total lack of heat and electricity. This makes it a lot harder to depend on the packaged food in our home. An MRE, or meal ready to eat, is the most effective way to keep a steady supply of food on hand for emergencies.
MREs were originally designed for military use. The packages needed to stay fresh for years at a time and under uncertain conditions. On top of that, a huge amount of work has gone into keeping them not just fresh but tasty as well. Some modern-day staples like hot sauce actually gained popularity in large part due to their use in MRE packages. The long shelf life also ensures that we can store them for years without any need to worry about the packages going bad. The solid taste also means that occasionally having them as a meal to restock with fresh replacements can be a lot of fun.
So far we've found ways to keep a room warm during a storm. We've also looked into methods to keep ourselves comfortable within those environments. We've even managed to find easy ways to ensure that a supply of emergency food and water will be on hand at all times. A small crank generator can even give us radio access. With a little work, that'll also provide enough power to keep our smartphones along with all of its utilities functional.
By putting all of this together, we now have a solid plan to stay safe during storms. Most of the other dangers from the storm come from needing to travel or leave the home. But with our necessities taken care of that's no longer an issue.
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Cultures worldwide have used spices to extend the longevity of food for thousands of years. It is out of this ingenuity that hot sauce was born.
Asian food boasts a wide variety of hot sauces. Korean cooking can be spiced up with Gochujang —a red chili paste that can liven up all kinds of dishes. Indonesia’s version of spicy chili sauce or paste is called Sambul. Most people are familiar with Thailand’s wildly popular chili pepper sauce, Sriracha. India is also well-known for their variety of spicy curries, known to make many unsuspecting individuals break out in a sweat.
The Caribbean offers up its fair share of spicy sauce as well. The famous Caribbean jerk sauce is made from pimento and Scotch bonnet peppers, combined with nutmeg, soy sauce, thyme and other seasonings. Scotch bonnet peppers —cousin to the habanero, but ranking much higher on the Scoville scale — are also used to make a fiery hot Scotch bonnet pepper sauce.
The list could go on and on — with piri-piri pepper sauce in Portugla and Harissa sauce in Africa. People all over the world seem to love to spice up their dishes — and the hotter the better!
For a lot of modern society, spicy food is synonymous with good living. The right hot sauce can turn even the blandest food into something amazing. Likewise, it can take an amazing meal to the next level.
Those who love spicy food might wonder how people were able to get along before hot sauce. In the US, the answer was not long. The first commercial hot sauces in the US was created just 31 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It's clear that many early Americans had their culinary priorities in the right place.
Sadly, the exact history of hot sauces in the states has been lost to time. We find the first record of a tabasco chili crop all the way back in 1849. The crop was credited to Colonel Maunsell White. We don't often think of bankers as the spiciest people in the world. However, White was both a banker and a culinary innovator. He'd take that crop and create his own tabasco chili sauce. This branding would become more solid in 1869 thanks to one of his friends.
The friend, Edmund Mcilhenny, created the Tabasco Brand Pepper Sauce. Amazingly enough the local tradition in their area has continued all the way up to the modern era. The region of Louisiana where we find the first records of a tabasco chili crop is still renowned for spicy sauces. This geographic lineage also highlights one of the limitations of past eras.
Until recently, people needed to make due with local crops. North America as a whole didn't have much surplus of spicy ingredients to use. The result is that much of the real culinary innovation was happening elsewhere. What's more, many people kept a firm hand on their family recipes. We really didn't see much of a commercial boom in the sauces until the 1940s. This decade would see two major changes within the industry.
The first of these innovations came from La Victoria Salsa Brava. Their product line might not seem groundbreaking to the modern eye. But it's important to keep the time and place in mind. Their red, green and enchilada sauces offered something truly different to Americans in the 1940s.
The second innovation would come from a liquor store owner in San Antonio. His small store would become the birthplace of America's first Picante sauce. The owner, David Pace, may be better known to people today as the creator of Pace Foods. It's amazing to think that this simple recipe would lead to a company which was ultimately purchased by the Campbell Soup Company for $1.115 billion. These numbers also make it clear that Americans were more than ready for the taste revolution provided by spicy sauces.
The 1950s saw continual growth within the industry. Once again, it's important to keep the very different tastes of the era in mind. The United States carries many of the culinary traditions of the British people. Saying that tradition tended toward more mild tastes would be an understatement. The average American still needed to learn about truly spicy tastes before he could appreciate this new type of sauce.
We can credit two magazines for spreading the news about spicy food to the households of the 1950s. Bon Appetit and Gourmet magazine would give people their first impression of many seemingly exotic meals. This included spicy meals which shocked and delighted those who tried them for the first time.
However, the average household was usually at a loss when it came to actually acquiring many of the ingredients for those exotic new meals. Thankfully mail order was becoming increasingly viable for those who wanted to add something more daring to the dinner table. Bottled items such as these sauces were especially useful in this more experimental era.
However, we need to move far beyond the innovative housewives of the 1950s for the next landmark in the sauce's history. War is seldom associated with humor or culinary appreciation. But a former World War II marine saw an opportunity arise during the Vietnam War. Walter Mcilhenny had experienced his share of bland survival food packages during his service. Their early form of MRE was known as C-rations. And he was well aware of just how much it could stand some extra flavor.
The vet was currently leading Tabasco and saw a perfect chance to combine two passions within his life. He could help both his company and soldiers by providing Tabasco. The company would soon ship out bottles along with an instruction book entitled "The Charlie Ration Cookbook". He also ran newspaper ads reading "Send YOUR man overseas some new food ideas and a few laughs". His book took a comical look at the subject. It also gave some valuable tips which helped soldiers combine their rations, spicy sauce and local items to create a true meal.
It can't be emphasized enough just how much a moment of comfort can mean to people under the strain of war. Some soldiers look back and recall that they often had trouble finding any fresh ingredients. But they could always count on the combination of hot sauce and survival food rations. At this point in history the C-rations had technically been replaced by MCIs.
But the Meal, Combat, Individual rations were functionally the same as the older C-rations. Likewise, people kept referring to them by the less than fond nickname "charlie rats". It's easy to imagine just how much a spicy sauce would mean to people who were living on the blandest of tastes.
In fact, troops loved the combination so much that spicy sauces would become a staple item. The true MRE would finally replace MCIs by 1981. Nine years later Tabasco sauce was officially made a part of MREs for the Gulf War. The taste of military rations has improved tremendously since those early days of C-rations. However, anyone who loves spicy food can attest to the fact that even the best meal is enhanced by a few dabs of the good stuff. Soldiers may not have humorously illustrated guides to using the sauces anymore. But many of those early recipes endure to this day.
The changes in MREs for the Gulf War marked another turning point in the history of American sauces. In 1991 spicy sauces officially outsold ketchup in the US. David Pace's company, Pace Foods, was still going strong. The company founded in the 1940s went from introducing spicy sauces to standing at the top of the market it helped create.
By this point Americans no longer saw the average sauce as much of a novelty. Just two years later that would change thanks to Dave Hirschkop. His "insanity sauce" was so spicy that it was banned from that year's National Fiery Food Show. It proved to be the best marketing anyone could hope for. The public was suddenly seeing the sauces in a similar way to their predecessors in the 1940s. They were faced with a new type of heat in their food. And this led to a new race to create the spiciest of the spicy concoctions.
Of course, people were also innovating in the opposite direction. We noted earlier that the sauces were now competing against standard condiments like ketchup. This led to a desire for sauces that were hot but not overly distracting. Many people were looking for a sauce which would compliment but not distract from the other flavors in a meal.
Many Americans were looking for what amounted to a spicy replacement for ketchup. The public would find it in sriracha. It had been available in the US from Huy Fong Foods, with their distinctive rooster logo, since the 1980s. But it didn't really explode in popularity until the early 2000s.
This brings us to the modern era. Today we have a wide variety of options available to us. People still love to use the spicy sauces with their MREs. Others prefer to use more mild options like sriracha on everything from burgers to cocktails. But there's one thing every lover of spicy food can agree on. Almost all foods can benefit from a little hot sauce.
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Most of us are happy to have 2020 behind us. We've all experienced a truly unprecedented period in history. Saying that 2020 has made life seem more unstable would be an understatement. It’s not just that our place in the world has changed either.
Sure, we’ve all certainly seen our share of social, economic, and medical upsets over the past year. But one of the most difficult issues is that most of us have felt a lot less secure about the future. 2020 saw almost all of our preconceptions and assumptions challenged in one way or another.
Communities which seemed unified have experienced social unrest. Feuds have raged over such seemingly trivial matters as toilet paper. And of course, those of us who thought pandemics were solely in the past had a huge shock as COVID-19 rolled over the globe.
In general, many people feel unsure about how to plan for a future in the wake of so many challenges to our worldview. However, at the same time we can look around and see that some people were prepared for 2020. And by looking at the lessons of 2020, we can in turn be equally prepared for any other catastrophes which may appear in the future. We can begin this examination by considering what’s gone wrong for people in 2020 and how we can guard against it.
The news of COVID-19 was almost immediately followed by stories of hoarding. People became desperate for items which had once been commonplace. Toilet paper is probably one of the best examples of a literally disposable item becoming precious.
There’s quite a few factors to explain why toilet paper disappeared from store shelves. However, it’s a mistake to focus too much on specific examples. We’ll never be able to fully predict the problems with supply chains for any given item. Upsets in the larger market can easily create unexpected changes in how a store might decide to order and stock their supplies. This isn't just true for toilet paper. Almost any item might have problems with the supply chain if there's a sudden and unexpected demand for it.
The real lesson we should learn from the toilet paper problem is that we can’t fully depend on the supply chain as a whole. When something goes wrong with the supply chain for an item every store will typically be affected to some extent or another. This might seem like a hopeless situation at first. How can we prepare for items to go out of stock on a city-wide scale when it’s quite literally an unpredictable event?
The answer is that we need to begin by assuming that every vital item will be out of stock during an emergency situation. And in fact this was often the case in 2020. Toilet paper was the first thing to disappear from store shelves. But important dietary staples were the next to go. And finally, we’ll look at how rarer items like masks were treated over the course of 2020.
We can begin preparing by looking at water. We often forget about water due to the fact that it’s nearly ubiquitous. But bottled water disappeared from store shelves pretty quickly during the early days of the COVID-19. If there had been a long term disruption of water quality from public sources during this time it would have had disastrous consequences. Or at least it would have been disastrous for anyone who wasn't prepared.
The average human may drink about 16 cups of water per day. This can make it a little harder to fully stock our water supply to prepare for shortages. If we wanted to stock up with half a year’s supply of water for one person that would equal out to 2,688 cups of water. And we’d need to multiply that number for every other person in our household.
It’s usually better to instead stock up with an emergency supply of bottled water for the short term. We should then make sure that we have a good high quality water filter packed up with our supplies. Higher quality filters meant for hiking and camping are a perfect fit for this situation. Water is seldom totally absent even during an emergency. What’s often scarce is clean and safe water. With a good filter we can easily turn unsafe water into a continually refreshed supply of clean drinking water. What’s more, we’ve retained a lot of storage space by not relying too much on bottled water.
Of course food is right up there with water as a necessity. People were surprisingly good at understanding the basics of survival food during the start of the pandemic. Most people noticed that rice, dried beans and nuts flew off store shelves at a rapid pace. What’s more, these items were often sold out for a significant amount of time. People were quite correct in thinking that all of these items made for good survival food.
The best things about all of these items is that they’re filling and can stay stable for a considerable amount of time in storage. However, there is one big problem with all of these foods which makes them better suited as a supplement to other staple items. People don’t just eat in order to mark off items on a nutritional checklist.
Proper emergency food should be a real meal. It’s true that people could survive on dehydrated beans and multivitamins for months. But doing so would mean sacrificing quality of life. Even people in combat situations are typically given emergency prepared meals in the form of an MRE.
When we look at 2020 it’s clear that preparing a stock of food is a good idea. But it’s better to go with the experience of people in combat situations when deciding on the exact type of emergency food. Emergency prepared meals like MREs feel like a real meal. This is especially important if we’re looking at a survival situation with more than one person. Having meals with real taste and flavor to them can provide a huge boost in overall morale.
Meanwhile, the blander staple items like dried beans and rice make for a fantastic side dish to a standard MRE. With all of that taken care of, we'll have a stocked pantry which can last for as long as we need it to.
Finally, we need to plan for miscellaneous issues. Masks were one of the items that flew off shelves in 2020. Not many people outside the medical profession use masks to prevent illness in the Western world. However, some people still had masks ready when the need arose. The reason comes down to the fact that masks are a good multi-purpose item. A good mask protects against not only disease but other airborne contaminants as well. If your area is prone to wildfires, the proper masks may even help with smoke particles.
It's a good idea to stock up with a lot of items which can help in a wide variety of circumstances. Solar chargers and a good battery can help in a wide variety of ways. Radios can provide both entertainment and emergency information. It's a good idea to consider various worst case scenarios and try to think of items which would help in not just one but many of them.
It's also important to consider medical care. Masks fit into that category as well and it's a big reason why some people were stocked up when COVID-19 hit. We can't know what medical issues might arise in the future. But a kit stocked with the basics for medical care can prove invaluable.
At this point it should be clear that we can plan for the unexpected. What's more, it's not even that difficult to do so. The biggest impediment is typically just lack of momentum. It's often hard to get that initial push to prepare for the future. But if 2020 has taught us anything it's that we don't know when disaster might strike. By preparing in advance we can regain a feeling of stability. What's more, doing so helps us to be sure that we'll be there to help others as well.
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Millions of people continually work hard to prepare themselves and family for a variety of different emergencies. These can include floods, wildfires, hurricanes and any other disasters that might arise. But how do you prepare for all these different threats effectively? The answer comes down to creating a diverse plan that addresses multiple needs that starts with the basics.
The two things which we will always need are food and water. Without these resources a survival situation is going to be made tremendously more difficult.
Providing water is best handled through a combination of stocking bottled water and preparing water filters. If your stock runs out, then dirty water can be safely utilized through water filtration. Prior to this, a ready stock of water available at the start of an emergency already has you in the right direction. It can be as simple as keeping some water in the car, garage, etc... Water can also be stored in other larger vessels as well for those looking to really stock up.
Most people who've looked into emergency prepping know that MREs are are great option for food storage. Meals ready to eat, or MREs, were designed to pack a strong nutritional payload into an easily stored compact package. MREs even scale in their overall complexity. Some consist of little more than a single type of food. Other MREs contain a full course of different foods, eating utensils and heating elements. Even these larger MRE packages are exceedingly user friendly.
With all that in mind it might seem like the fundamentals of our emergency supplies are fairly straightforward. It's true that deciding on the basics is fairly easy. However, there's one final part of this preparatory process left to consider. The final step involves deciding upon a location to store the emergency supplies.
This might seem like an exceedingly minor issue at first. It's the fact that it seems like such a trivial matter which makes it such an easy stumbling block. People often fail to put much thought into their storage location. Likewise, even people who know the importance of storage locations often decide to put it off for later. In both cases these people typically never get around to picking out and stocking a proper storage location. This is a huge issue for anyone who cares about proper emergency preparedness.
The biggest issue comes down to the availability of our supplies. Take a moment and really think about how people react during emergencies. People are generally panicked and not thinking very clearly. With some emergency drills and preparation, it's possible for an entire family to meet up in a secure location. However, now imagine if every single member of a family felt that it was their job to grab water and MREs. At best this would create a duplication of effort. At worst it might result in injury as people needlessly put themselves in danger trying to find a half remembered stash of supplies.
It's important to choose a safe, secure and easily accessible location to store emergency supplies. We should always ensure every member of the household knows where this location is as well. In the case of an emergency, every person in a household should know where to go. Likewise, everyone should know which supplies are on hand within that area. This does two things. The first is that it helps keep people moving toward safety during an emergency. People are less likely to head off to track each other down if they're aware the whole family is moving toward the same spot.
The other benefit comes from the fact that nobody will veer off course to grab something they thought of at the last minute. Everyone will know in advance that the area has everything they need. There's another important element of a storage location as well. It's a matter of how the environment interacts with the materials stored there.
MREs are remarkably tolerant of their environment. After all, meals ready to eat were originally developed for military use. The researchers who created MREs have and continue to take great pains to ensure they're usable in almost any situation. MREs need to remain stable and edible in everything from the coldest snowstorm to the hottest jungles. MREs also need to remain stable if they're in storage for an extended period of time.
None of this should be taken to mean that MREs are impervious to environmental conditions. MREs are remarkably hardy and their packaging even more so. However, time and the elements will take an inevitable toll on anything. No food will last forever in long-term storage. But at the same time, we need emergency food to be edible when an unpredictable situation occurs. Thankfully, we can vastly extend the already long shelf life of MREs by carefully deciding on a storage location.
Any given MRE will have a slightly different shelf life due to a wide variety of variables. The manufacturing and distribution times, ingredients, packaging and a number of other factors will impact an MREs shelf life. However, this is usually a fairly minor amount of variability. What really matters is an environment's temperature. Everyone knows that keeping a meal in the fridge or in direct sunlight will have very different results. The same is true of MREs.
Most MREs have a stable shelf life of about five years by default. However, that can be extended by keeping it cool. One doesn't have to keep it in the fridge or freezer. In fact, it's important to keep MREs from freezing. If an MRE freezes there's a chance the process might damage its packaging. The packaging of MREs is one of the main reasons why it has such a long shelf life. As such it's important to keep the packing intact and to minimize the chances of it freezing.
But with that in mind, we can get a lot out of keeping MREs in a chilled environment. A chilly, but not freezing, location can extend an MREs life by as much as five years. And most people have access to just such an environment within their basement. A basement is also a good safe spot due to the absence of windows and a firm foundation within the earth. This means that even in the worst storm or tornado one will be able to stay safe and maintain a stable supply of food and water.
Of course, many people don't have basements. In that case one should try to create a safe environment which mimics the benefits of a basement. It should remain fairly cool in order to maximize the emergency food supplies shelf life. And the location should be dry for similar reasons. This will also ensure the performance and stability of electronics stored in the safe area.
Finally, it's important to rethink all of these steps on a regular basis. Things have a tendency to change over the years. People come and go in a household. New areas might open up while others become repurposed. Every now and then we should go over all of these steps and ensure that an emergency location is well stocked and safe. Likewise it's important to ensure that everyone in the household understands the situation as well.
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We should always begin preparing for emergencies by recognizing how fundamentally unpredictable they are. In the beginning of 2019 nobody had any idea of what they'd need to prepare for in 2020 and the oncoming pandemic. While no one can predict events such as this, being prepared for the worst is always a prudent strategy.
Depending on where you live or are traveling, problems can arise quickly. Bad weather such as flash floods or snow storms can occur. There are times when it is not safe to continue driving and you may need to pull over and wait it out. It is always a good idea to have a well-stocked emergency roadside kit in your vehicle that can act as a safety blanket while traveling through bad weather, breakdowns, or other emergencies.
Preparing an emergency car kit is also a great idea because it can help you move quickly in disaster situations without having to gather items in a panic.
Food & Water
In the case of stopping for severe weather, you may need to be off the road for a while. Keeping a small supply of bottled water and packaged food with a long shelf life is good to have on hand. MREs are great to keep in the car due to their long shelf life and ease of preparation. MREs are full of calories and nutrients to sustain you if you are unable to leave the car for an extended period of time. They also take up little space and offer a variety of menu choices.
Comfort & First Aid
Blankets and gloves are crucial items to keep in your emergency car kit. They can protect you from the cold and are vital especially if you are stranded in your car overnight.
Any emergency kit should also contain a first aid kit. First aid kits can help you treat immediate injuries when EMTs and paramedics can't be there. Of course this is no alternative to a hospital, but can help with treatment before the professionals arrive.
Electronics, Jumper Cables & Chargers
Batteries and phone chargers can mean the difference in an emergency. Keeping your devices powered to call for help or keep you occupied while you wait can help.
In the event your car breaks down, a set of jumper cables and emergency triangles/pylons and even flares are very useful.
Moving Quickly & Being Prepared For Anything
In the event of an emergency where evacuation may be necessary — such as an earthquake, fire, or other natural disaster. A well stocked emergency kit will give you the ability to rapidly relocate to a new area without much advance notice. With the proper auto emergency kit, one can see a single vehicle as a safe house of sorts in even the worst possible situations.
There isn't a strict definition of an emergency kit due to the fact that everyone has their own unique needs. However, in general we can think of it as a portable collection of items which will allow someone to survive for at least three days. The more space we devote to supplies the longer we'll be able to last without making a supply run.
Be Prepared For Anything
An emergency car kit should also be able to last long-term inside a car. You should be able to let it sit in a vehicle's trunk long term and if an emergency happens on the road you will have the kit on hand. If you need to quickly get away from an approaching natural disaster, then there won't be any need to pack as everything will already be set and waiting within the vehicle.
A properly stocked emergency car kit is ideal for any emergency situation or the potential of an emergency situation. Remember, at the bare minimum shelf stable food, water, shelter, first aid, power and a method of communication are an important part of any plan. Follow these steps to create an emergency car kit that will have you prepared for anything.
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The International Space Station is a truly remarkable achievement. The modular space station was launched all the way back in 1998. This small habitat has existed and expanded within Earth's orbit for over twenty years now. And the International Space Station, or ISS, just celebrated a big milestone for the astronauts living within it. For the first time ever the people living on the ISS have a chiller for their food and beverages.
The addition has prompted many of us to wonder about just what people eat in space? The space station itself has a small food prep area within the Russian manned area. This section features a wall mounted folding table and heaters for food packages. The chiller is part of a new secondary food prep area. Many people find it hard to imagine how people could have lived so long without such a seeming necessity within their lives. However, there's one group of people who can probably guess how people have been able to eat comfortably in space.
Anyone who's served in the military can attest to the utilitarian nature of an MRE. An MRE, or meal ready to eat, is a special type of packaged meal. And it's the secret to how people have been able to make do with limited resources on the space station.
MREs were originally created as an alternative to reserve rations and C rations. These ration systems were intended for military use during periods where people couldn't count on standard meal options. In particular the rations were useful for any military action which involved longer periods away from any given base.
Reserve rations in particular are noteworthy for the fact that they were roughly equivalent to what armies in pre-industrial times might expect. In fact, the dehydrated meat and hard tack found in reserve rations might be considered a step down from what many Greek and Roman soldiers marched on in antiquity.
MREs mark a point where the past finally gave way to modern or even futuristic technologies. MREs made their debut in 1975 to universal approval. They were hardly perfect at the time but were still a massive leap forward compared to C rations. By 1996 the MREs had advanced to the point where people could even select for particular diets or nutritional needs. The date marks the point where categories such as vegetarian options first appeared. Moving on the Continuous Product Improvement system, or CPI, began to concentrate more on improving the meal's taste. The overall nutritional profile was considered stable so the only areas left to tweak were related to taste.
Today the MREs stand as an impressive feat of culinary and nutritional engineering. MREs provide everything people need to stay fit and healthy even under extreme physical stress. What's more, the taste and variety of MREs is often quite enjoyable. All of this highlights why MREs have moved beyond military use and into any area which prioritizes portable food options and long term storage. This includes people who spend a lot of time outdoors such as hikers and hunters. An MREs long shelf life also makes it a perfect choice for emergency food stock. For example, someone might keep MREs as emergency food within a storm shelter or go bag. And as many people might have guessed, this also includes people living on the International Space Station.
There are of course some minor differences to be found between standard MREs and space food. MREs usually treat calories as a precious resource. The more calories in MREs the better. This is because of the fact that they're usually used in situations where one isn't expected to sit down for meals on a regular basis. MREs need to be able to sustain people for as long as possible on a single serving. As such MREs tend to pack in as much nutritional density as possible within the package's size constraints. This is ideal for military use of MREs. Likewise for hikers and hunters. It even works for people who might find themselves trapped in a storm shelter for long periods of time. People in these situations are either burning off a tremendous amount of calories every day or need to make do with sporadic dining schedules.
Astronauts have to specifically make time to get exercise in due to the lower gravity on the ISS. The fact that they don't get much exercise by floating around, compared to walking and running, tends to be a major issue over time. As such the caloric concerns aren't as much of an issue with MREs intended for use in space.
However, there's also one big surprise for people who know a little about the history of space travel. People might assume that dessert options are either severely limited or will make use of the so called "astronaut ice cream". The freeze dried ice cream became heavily tied to the public's concept of space travel due to its inclusion in an Apollo mission. However, that mission marked the first and only time it was ever sent into space. The dessert both lacked the tastiness of ice cream and tended to crumble. Meanwhile the options in MREs are surprisingly better suited to space.
In fact, some of the MREs dessert options can create surprisingly enjoyable after dinner options. Even some of the standard parts of a meal can be quite tasty. For example, jam and peanut butter are bordering on a dessert option all by themselves. But MREs, whether standard or in space, also provide a good selection of treats. This can include options such as brownies, cocoa, coffee and puddings. Again, there are some minor differences in these options when they're eaten in space. Liquid and crumbs can both spread over a wide space quite quickly. Because of this concern the meal options either change meal choices or delivery to compensate for the lower gravity.
Another surprise can be seen when looking at the entire concept of dehydrated food. The idea of astronaut ice cream shows two important points about dehydrated food. This example highlights the fact that the public associates it with space travel. And the example also shows that often times this assumption is outdated. It's true that dehydrated options were once quite common in both standard MREs and in space. But today the methods by which people create and package MREs has come a long way.
The CPI program was a particularly important step forward in the MREs packaging. Experts in a wide variety of fields have spent decades finding ways to ensure MREs look, taste and even smell like standard meals. To be fair, some of the options do better in various categories than others. For the most part MREs are now able to provide a wide variety of meal options without needing to resort to dehydration. In fact, MREs often contain flameless heating units and eating utensils. The aim of these meals is to quite literally include everything needed for a meal. Even water for rehydration would place a limit on this utility. As such, it's quite common for MREs to totally forgo dehydrated ingredients. In fact, some of the best MREs don't even need preservatives. The method of preparation and packaging is enough to keep the MREs stable for around five years.
In the end one can see that the state of meals on the ISS is continually improving. On earth this is helped by advancements with MREs. And in space the modular nature of the ISS allows for additions such as the new chiller and secondary meal prep area.
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MREs have long been a staple of military rations. They are meals that have sustained thousands of soldiers and while they were strictly a military affair, they have been introduced to the civilian market by various manufactures and distributors. Civilians have several different reasons that they may want to take advantage of these meals.
By using MREs, civilians can stock long term food supplies for disaster or emergency preparation. They can also be used operationally, for remote occupations that spend a large amount of time in the field. Additionally, civilians find MREs a great alternative to packing pots, pans, and food supplies for hiking and camping trips. Whatever the reason, it's clear to see that MREs aren't just for the military anymore. But what are the diferences between military issued MREs and civilian MREs? To answer that, we must first take a look at what an MRE is itself.
MREs stand for Meals, Ready to Eat. They have been a staple of the military for individuals deployed in the field. MREs are completely sealed and contained giving them an extremely long shelf-life. These meals often come with a wide variety of foods and seasoning packets to enhance taste. Most MREs are comprised of a main entree, a side, crackers, cookies or some other dessert, and an electrolyte beverage. Some even contain coffee. In military circles, some of these components are much more prized than others. Just read about the the Army's omelet debacle, affectionately renamed... Well, we will let you read about that one. Like any types of food, some are widely regarded as quite tasty, while others can leave something to be desired.
All of the components of an MRE can be eaten directly in the field. Additionally, most modern MRE meals can be heated using a flameless heating element/flameless ration heater. Flameless ration heaters work by releasing a chemical reaction that is triggered by using a small amount of water. This means that no matter where you are and what access to a stove or electricity you have, you can have a hot meal in under 10 minutes.
The idea of the MRE is not a replacement for fresh foods. MREs are a logistical necessity and allow for meals to be distributed to large amounts of people quickly, with the second benefit being their sturdy shelf-life. This second point has made them to preferred method of storing food for emergency preparation, even above canning..
Military MREs have a few distinct differences from the MREs that are used by civilians. For one, the two types have different purposes. The military ration is meant to be used out in the field. It is supposed to be the sustenance of a soldier as they are potentially travelling thousands of miles across different terrains. This purpose changes the suggested shelf life of the product. It also leads to several more ingredients being added into the standard military ration as opposed to the civilian product.
Another key item in a military survival pack is toilet paper. Once again, this material is vital for individuals who will be away from barracks or other structures for an extended period of time. The implication is that civilians will not need to be away from these necessities for an extended period of time and so they are not included.
Lastly, military MREs are built strictly for the military and are technically government property. Reselling U.S military MREs is illegal in the United States and you should always be weary of sites or resellers claiming to be distributing authentic U.S military MREs.
While civilian MREs might not be the exact same as military, for the most part the best civilian MREs are manufactured by military contractors who produce a military grade product similar to what a solider might find in the field. For most of us, civilian MREs are the only option, so finding a brand that is produced by military contractors ensures that you are getting the best.
Civilian MREs can be different for other reasons too. Most of these differences stem from their different applications. One major use for civilian MREs is emergency preparation for natural disasters, civil unrest, and pandemics. At the time of significant disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, many individuals are homeless and without power. MREs are a fast, efficient way to deliver thousands of meals in an incredibly short period of time.
Many individuals stockpile MREs to survive for months or even years in some instances. They may be afraid that grocery stores and restaurants would be forced to close as a result of some of the situations described above. A stable food source that is reliable and tasty is important for these folks.
The main difference between civilian and military meals is the lack of certain items in the civilian meals. Toilet paper is often not included because it is assumed that this essential product will be provided through some other means. An individual who is storing food can also store toilet paper in a similar space. Areas hit by disaster have stores and food pantries that often have large stocks of toilet paper that can be given out at any time. Since toilet paper is not as scarce as it may be on the battlefield, a civilian survival food company might cut costs by cutting out the toilet paper in the civilian meal.
Another significant difference is the amount of time that individuals can store civilian MREs. Military MREs are almost always stored outside in extreme temperatures. These temperatures greatly reduce their shelf life. But civilians often store survival food inside and in cool, dark places. A civilian pack of survival food may last for many months more than a military MRE.
Civilian MREs have other differences as well. There may be more varieties, ingredients, and added foods than in military MREs. The contents of military MREs are standardized for months. These MREs have to be mass-produced and are often sent out by the thousand. Their costs are extremely limited and individual soldiers do not influence the process besides a nominal menu choice. On the other hand, a civilian company is only constrained by the profit motive. They can create hundreds or even thousands of potential combinations for use in their MREs. As long as the food inside stays fresh for an extended period of time, it is conceivable that it may be used in a meal pack sold to civilians.
Anyone interested in buying and eating civilian MREs should make sure that they are informed before buying. As members of the military know, not all MREs are created equal. Individuals should be careful and discriminating when deciding which ones to buy. They should ensure that they are buying MREs which will meet their needs and help them secure immediate sustenance and peace of mind. All of these needs are certainly met by Meal Kit Supply MREs.
]]>Wildfire season is a serious threat to our safety. Wildfires ruin homes, take lives, and destroy environments such as forests, prairies, and grasslands. They are typically caused by lightning or humans, and the risks are heightened during droughts and high winds. They can result in flooding, and cause problems with transportation, power, gas, and communication. Wildfires are unpredictable, and can happen anywhere to anybody.
This is why it is so important that we have a survival kit or a pantry that is stocked and ready to go. The supplies need to last several days in the event that we cannot access food supplies. In this article, we discuss six different ways to prepare for wildfire season, and include certain supplies that should be in a survival bag.
Our home needs to be surrounded by a 100-foot defensible space. This space consists of two zones that are designed to slow the spread of the fire and to protect those who are trying to put the fire out.
We need to take precautions to harden our homes from flying embers. Some of the most vulnerable parts of the house include:
A survival kit needs to be ready and accessible, and lightweight. A flashlight and shoes should be kept near beds in case an evacuation happens at night. Our survival kit should include the following (though keep in mind that this list is not inclusive):
MREs, which are Meals Ready to Eat, are a great emergency food option to keep in our emergency survival kit because they store well, and are compact and nutritious. Every MRE is a 1200 calorie three-course meal that includes an entrée, side dish, cracker or bread with spread (like jelly or peanut butter), a dessert, a couple drink mixes including an electrolyte drink, condiments, utensils, a napkin, and a flameless ration heater.
There are many different MREs to choose from to better suit the needs of family members. Meal Kit Supply MREs are designed by U.S. military contractors. They do not contain preservatives, nor are they dehydrated. They are used by survivalists, emergency teams, campers, and others.
Our action plan needs to be understood by everybody in the household. We need to include:
The action plan needs to be clear and rehearsed by all family members, at all times of day and night.
We like to be sure that we have left nothing up to chance. Therefore, we have a plan, we go through the pre-evacuation steps, we monitor wildfires in the area, we know the community emergency response plans, and we listen for evacuation orders.
When an evacuation does happen, we review our checklist, confirm our survival kit is in our vehicle, wear the appropriate protective clothing, and locate family members and pets.
We also leave early.
We review simple steps for safe evacuation, such as described in the Ready, Set, Go! campaign.
These steps are critical for increasing the chances of survival, and decreasing the chances of damage.
Because wildfires can strike at any time, it is important to both our safety and the safety of the firefighters that we evacuate at the earliest possible time. Having a plan, a prepared survival kit, and being well-rehearsed on our evacuation route makes it possible for us to leave at a moment's notice. There are plenty of resources available online, and it is crucial that we stay updated on our community's emergency evacuation procedures.
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When an emergency strikes, it can be days or even weeks before the affected area has access to a fresh supply of food. The roads could be blocked, the supply lines shut down, and if the power's out, anything that requires refrigeration will expire in a matter of hours. For this reason, it's important to keep a stash of MREs on hand. "Meals Ready to Eat" (or MREs) are packaged, non-perishable food that's specially made for emergencies. These meals are made to last up to five years and can withstand just about any emergency, from hurricanes to power outages to earthquakes.
Originally developed by the military, MREs have become popular with consumers, who demanded a civilian version of the military food. For those who want to keep a stash of emergency rations in their own homes, MREs are the answer. An MRE kit typically contains a main dish, a side dish, bread with jelly or peanut butter, a dessert, drink mixes, utensils, and creamer and seasonings. Many MREs also come with heaters that allow you to heat up your food. These meal kits are an invaluable resource for survivalists and disaster preppers, as well as people who simply want to have a stash of edible food in case of an emergency.
MREs are famous for their long life span, with most MREs having a shelf-life of up to five years. They're pre-made and ready to eat immediately, and don't require any refrigeration. All they need is to be stored in a safe, dry area that's not affected by extreme temperatures. But what's the science between MREs, and how can people extend the shelf-life of their MREs as long as possible?
It's not unheard of for canned vegetables to be edible for months or even years, but MREs go way beyond that. They're fully prepared meals that come in varieties like spaghetti and meatballs, beef ravioli, and cheese tortellini. Meat and dairy products aren't exactly known for their long shelf-life, and yet MREs are still edible years after they've been purchased. What exactly makes this emergency food safe to eat for so many years?
One reason that MREs last so long is that their packaging. MRE kits are stored in airtight packaging, so bacteria can't creep in and contaminate the food before it's been opened. It's similar to the principle between sticking food in the freezer to preserve it: when the food is frozen, the growth of bacteria is slowed, and food is therefore edible for longer periods of time.
Some people think that MREs are jam packed full of chemicals and preservatives. While some MREs can contain preservatives it is not as common as you would think. Many MREs contain no preservatives in them, including Meal Kit Supply MREs, which are completely preservative free.
Before they're packaged, MREs are also cooked thoroughly to make sure that all the bacteria is killed off. The food is sterilized and packaged to ensure that it's 100% germ-free before it's opened. Because of these precautions, the MRE shelf-life is much longer than that of regular food, and it can sit untouched in a pantry or basement for years without spoiling.
Finally, many MREs are loaded with sodium. Salt is a natural disinfectant that kills bacteria by sucking the water out of the cells. If you've ever cured a sore throat by gargling with salt water, it's the same principle. The amount of salt in MREs keeps the food safe and edible for a much longer amount of time than regular processed foods.
MREs might be durable, but they're not untouchable in every situation. If they're not stored in the right environment, they could be ruined long before their expiration date, giving the user an unpleasant surprise when they finally open the package. MRE owners should take care to store them correctly to extend their shelf-life as long as possible.
MREs should be stored at an average of 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Some fluctuation is acceptable, but the temperature should never get too hot or too cold. They last longer at cooler temperatures, but freezing your MREs can ruin the meals. Anyone who invests in MREs should make sure they can store the package in a dry area with a stable temperature that doesn't get boiling hot in the summer or freezing cold in the winter.
As durable as they are, MREs don't last forever. Most experts recommend replacing MREs after they've reached the five-year mark. The longer they're kept in storage, the more the taste and nutrition deteriorates, and some products--like cheese and peanut butter--can actually go bad, despite all the sterilization and preservatives. MREs should also be thrown out if they've been exposed to extreme temperatures that could ruin the food.
Many people eat MREs that were ten or fifteen years old. It's not impossible, but eating MREs past the five-year mark can poses a risk. Contrary to popular belief, it's not possible to tell if food is safe to eat just by the smell of appearance. There's no point in keeping around a box of emergency food that might give you food poisoning, so keep track of your MREs and know when it's time to throw out an old package.
Some manufacturers include a "Julian Date" code on the package that indicates the manufacturing date. This can be helpful in determining whether or not a meal has expired. The first digit of the code represents the last digit of the year it was packaged, while the next three digits represent the day.
MREs should mainly be used in emergencies. While they're packed full of energy and nutrients, they're not necessarily made to be eaten every day. MREs are best for emergency situations like fires, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, and other events where perishable food isn't available. Some campers and hikers also bring along MREs on their trips, as they don't require refrigeration and offer plenty of vitamins and minerals to help them stay active during the day.
]]>Any person who has ever taken part in a long hike understands the need to ensure they have packed the right food type. You need access to survival food that is not only sufficient to last the duration of your trip but which is also lightweight and nutritious. The food should also not taste like cardboard!
For individuals serving in the Armed Forces, making certain this culinary criterion is met is of crucial importance, more so when talking about emergency food rations. In a bid to ensure that the food needs of the troops are met, the U.S Department of Defense regularly works hand in hand with people in academia and the food industry.
This has assisted in narrowing down the process to an exact science. Over time, MREs have undergone a lot of changes that have helped make them what they are today. Survival food today comprises of a 1,100-1,200 calorie three-course meal that has an entrée, a side dish, a piece of bread or cracker with spread (peanut butter or jelly), a dessert, and numerous beverage blends (together with an electrolyte beverage).
Additionally, each Meal Ready to Eat contains condiments, a napkin, a spoon, and a flameless ration heater (FRH).
Before there was the Meal Ready to Eat, there were a variety of rations used to feed soldiers. These were known as K Rations or C Rations. The "Reserve Ration" from the early 1900s included a pound of dehydrated meat (i.e. jerky) and hard tack biscuits. The lack of nutrition caused the rations to be replaced with the "C Ration" in 1938. These rations contained pre-cooked prepared food. These rations were later replaced with the Meal, Combat, Individual (MCI) Ration. The MCI was not much on an improvement and was still not popular with soldiers.
Later, soldiers around the world were fed using the LRP. At this time, the primary form of military cooking outside the official mess halls was the Food Packet, Long Range Patrol (LRP). The development of this emergency food rations was left to the cooks and the Armed Forces scientists.
Some consider the LRP the first real effort made by United States scientists. to come up with a nutritionally balanced food ration for the servicemen and women. These rations had enough calories to keep the soldiers in combat well fed. The LRP food rations were used in the period between 1958 to 1980.
This period is referred to as the period between the end of the Korean War as well as that of the Vietnam War. United States soldiers stationed in Vietnam relied on it as their main meal.
The Department of Defense in 1963 commissioned a large group of military cooks and scientists to come up with a meal that was palatable to the soldiers. As an emergency food, it also needed to be lightweight and capable of lasting for more than a few weeks. It was meant to ensure the soldiers got to eat a whole ration.
Even though it had proved effective in feeding the hungry soldiers, it was deemed to be too expensive. In 1975, The United States Armed Forces’ Quartermaster Command office began the process of coming up with a better version of the LRP.
Doctor Abdul Rahman, a civilian scientist, was contracted by the military in 1975 to start the process of creating a better version of the LRP. In the course of his research, he managed to create a whole meal made up of dehydrated food. This food was held in a lightweight and highly portable pouch.
His efforts led to him being awarded the Meritorious Civilian Service Award by the military. The work he performed for the military served as the foundation for which the Meal Ready to Eat was created. Despite being effective, these meals still had some issues as they weren’t always palatable.
Additionally, the menu only provided a total of 12 options. The military in 1981 used the meals as special issue rations but only made them a standard-issue 5 years later. While they only became standard issue in 1986, the Meal Ready to Eat has been undergoing continuous development since 1981.
Since then, the meals have undergone significant changes much to the delight of the servicemen who have no option but to eat them when under deployment.
The FRH (Flameless Ration Heater) was developed 9 years after the Meal Ready to Eat was first issued. Initially, the FRH was made up of a series of chemical reactions, more so an exothermic reaction that didn’t have any flame. The reaction was normally triggered through the inclusion of water.
Military scientists are continuously working on coming up with newer and more palatable meals for servicemen and women. While those in the field believe that there’s still a long way to go, new entrée options have emerged over the years. They are options meant to meet the needs of certain types of soldiers.
Kosher meals and halal meals are today available for Jewish and Muslim soldiers alike. Soldiers who aren’t in a position to consume meat for one reason or the other can always opt for vegetarian meals.
Having said all this, the military MREs aren’t as pleasant as this article may have made them sound. While the options available continue to increase, it takes months, and sometimes years for a new item to get added to the menu. And even as new options continue to emerge, many still find the military-grade Meal Ready to Eat rations hard to eat and unpalatable.
Meals Ready to Eat intended for civilian use happens to be more luxurious compared to their military versions. Even though the Department of Defense would be more than happy to supply its troops with more delicious options, the primary concern with the food rations lies in their capacity to resist spoiling and in their portability.
Unlike military cooks, civilian cooks don’t have to worry about laboring under severe restrictions. The ability to combine modern technology with the skills offered by a well-trained chef has enabled us to come up with a broader choice of meals. Our meals are intended for easy carrying and preparation.
This is in addition to being able to go for a longer duration without ever going bad, or losing their taste.
Before 2000, not many companies had received authorization to start producing this type of meal rations intended for civilian use. While the demand for this type of product was already present, the reality is that there wasn’t much information regarding their existence. By this time, the standard rations had only been in existence for 14 years. This meant that they hadn’t been well spread in the public domain.
Another issue hampering their production was the fact that civilian technology was still in its infancy stages. Therefore, while it was still possible to get these meals from designated retailers, not many were impressed by their weight and taste.
The rush officially began in the year 2000 after the Y2K hit the country. Many civilians were frantic to start stocking up on survival essentials, e.g., food and other important supplies even as they continued to wait for the world to end. While many civilians came to know about the meal rations during this time, the demand didn’t last for long as many manufacturers began to drop out of the market.
A resurgence would later occur in the year 2005 after Hurricane Katrina hit up the shores of the United States. The hurricane which left behind unimaginable devastation in its wake led to renewed demand for civilian Meals Ready to Eat. This new demand helped some past manufacturers to find their way back into the market, while also creating a new opportunity for other interested players.
While civilian Meals Ready to Eat may not have been in the market for long, many prefer it to the military option. Both civilian and military scientists are continuously working around the clock to try to make the food last longer. This includes coming up with new menu options and improving its taste as well.
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By now, most people are familiar with the novel coronavirus, more commonly known as COVID-19. The pandemic has swept through countries all over the world for the last several months — and it's not over yet. Although social distancing practices have helped "flatten the curve" and slow the progress of the virus in some countries, new infections are still on the rise.
Most of North America has been under some sort of shelter-in-place order, which has helped slow the spread of COVID-19. However, several states in the US that were hit hard with the virus have begun the first phases of their reopening process. Businesses will still be under partial restrictions and social distancing is still required, but an increase has already been seen in many newly-reopened areas. This recent spike reinforces concerns of many experts predicting a second wave of the pandemic.
Some experts warn a second wave could arrive before fall if restrictions are lifted too quickly. If a second wave waits until the fall, it will line up with flu season — making it even more difficult to detect. Since COVID-19 cases are already present, the virus will take off much more quickly than it did when it was new to North America.
During the height of the coronavirus pandemic, the United States suffered record unemployment numbers in “Non-essential” sectors that impacted lower socioeconomic populations the worst. Consequently, grocery stores were forced to changed their hours of operation because the public went into a panic while hoarding items such as storable food, toiletries, sanitization products and bottled water.
If a second pandemic were to break out, would you be able to weather the storm? In order to determine this, let’s examine what has happened during the height of this pandemic and what we can expect to happen if another wave hits North America.
Each week that you go to the grocery, you’ve probably experienced sticker shock. Many of your household staples have suddenly risen in price. USA Today recently published an article saying that food prices have seen the highest one month increase since 1974.
Food that can be stored in your pantry has already become scarce and to add insult to injury, experts suggest that jobs provided by many small businesses may never come back. The combination of rising food prices coupled with scarce employment opportunities is a recipe for crisis.
Unfortunately, when food prices go up, they rarely go down. When you think about the amount of money the US government had to print in order to send everyone a stimulus check, you can understand why your dollar has less buying power today than it did several months ago.
Many storable food companies rapidly sold out of their non-perishable foods when it became clear that the pandemic was going to have a serious impact on our economy.
There is an old saying in the prepper community: “Storable food is insurance you can eat.” That saying rang true during the height of the pandemic. Many viral videos showed the true nature of humans during a panic. Many videos featured people fighting over supplies at the supermarket. Others showed senior citizens having critical items ripped from their arms.
Can you imagine what would happen during another pandemic scare? Rather than fight the crowds for last remaining supplies on the shelf, wouldn’t it be better to have cache of emergency food on hand? Stocking items like MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) and purified drinking water can give you the reassurance in knowing you and your family will food and water if needed.
One of the most dangerous aspects of another wave of pandemics is the looming impact of inflation. Politicians typically get a bad rap whenever they vote to raise taxes. However, when they simply rack up more national debt, taxes aren’t directly levied on citizens. They’re indirectly levied by diluting the value of the dollar.
When governments begin borrowing and spending, the damage is already done. Government entities have shown that they are willing and able to print their way out of a pandemic. With food prices already hitting new highs, what will happen if another pandemic hits? Will governments continue printing more money?
When you go ahead and purchase survival foods such as MREs, you’re locking in your food at a price that you know you can afford. If you look at other economies that have been impacted by hyperinflation, you could get a glimpse of the dangerous situation that could be created when the value of the currency is diluted to a point to where it becomes difficult to afford basic necessities.
Do you ever think about how food arrives on the store shelves? There are warehouses, there are truck drivers, and there are entire workforces that must be on the same page in order for the food to show up at the supermarket.
Many news organizations continuously reported on the fact that grocery supply chains started to fail. Did you notice how ground beef, chicken and steak became scarce? Many families began hoarding canned goods and groceries had to start putting purchasing limits on specific items in order to alleviate the strain on the supply chain.
One of the more under reported aspects of the pandemic was the price of oil. While oil prices dropped to record lows, this negatively impacted supply chains all around the world. If supply chains falter, food will not make it to the supermarket shelves. This could set off a chain reaction of negative events in your community.
If the supply chain falters and inflation causes food prices to continue to go up, the government may force groceries to limit what customers can buy. These types of measures would be put in place to prevent people from hoarding what little food is left on the shelves.
What if groceries no longer allow shoppers to come into the stores? Your grocery shopping may be limited to the bare essentials. Eggs, bread, and milk could be the main items available, if they are even available at all.
If a second pandemic impacts the North America and your food options are limited, can you be confident that the grocery store will have enough food from week to week?
Going into the Summer of 2020, we are already seeing many who are simply ignoring the social distancing guidelines put forth by the World Health Organization. As news cycles change, the COVID-19 pandemic may seem like a distant memory to some.
These individuals could be desensitized to the idea of a 2nd pandemic therefore they could inadvertently contract the disease and spread the illness to their friends and family members.
This in turn could cause the government to shutdown common areas in your community which could directly impact your ability to get food. Imagine the panic and chaos that would ensue if this scenario were to play out.
With governments heavily investing in contract tracing technologies, these systems could be used to quarantine various communities. What happens next? What if you happen to come in contact with someone who has the virus?
What if you are forced into quarantine? Contract tracing is a new frontier and this endeavor could bring about its own set of challenges. Wouldn’t it be better to avoid these hassles and invest in survival food so that you aren’t left worrying about what could happen in times of uncertainty?
If you are able to shelter in place and thus relieving you of the responsibility of always having to go out and find food, there's less risk of you coming into contact with the virus. This is a win-win situation for everyone involved.
During the first wave of pandemics in North America, we witnessed a phenomenon that we never thought we’d see happen. Community food banks were picked bare in a matter of days. Charities never seem to have enough but during times like these, food charities were completely decimated by the sheer demand for their services.
Some food banks started to ration what they gave out to the community. Others simply closed their doors due to being overwhelmed and out of food. When your community runs out of food and the charities are unable to help, where would you turn next?
Some parts of the Western Hemisphere were impacted much more harshly by the COVID-19 pandemic. Experts seem to be in agreement that a second pandemic wave could be more severe than the first wave. In order to get ahead of the curve, you must first meet your basic needs as a human being.
Securing a source of food during times of uncertainty will help put you way ahead of the curve. While others may be content with relying on the supermarket to provide them with their next meal, you can rest easy at night knowing that you have a cache of survival food available to you at any time.
If you are wondering whether or not you should buy emergency food, pause for a moment and consider the inherent advantages you’ll gain from stocking up on meals ready to eat (MREs).
It’s kind of like buying a fire extinguisher. It’s never something you want to use, however, if you need it, it’ll be there waiting for you and having it can mean the difference between life and death in some cases.
Soldiers all around have used emergency food rations in order to eat healthy, nutritious food whenever they are in a situation where traditional food cannot be easily procured. These rations provide enough calories, vitamins, minerals and nutrients to help soldiers forge on and carry out their missions in some of the most extreme conditions.
When you decide to invest in MREs, you’ll get food that:
Did you know that during the Great Depression, one of the leading causes of health problems was malnutrition?
In those days, people commonly hunted rabbits and squirrels in order to help prepare a dinner. In today’s industry-centric society, ordinary people can stock up on storable foods that will help them get through an emergency situation.
There’s really no reason to not be prepared. In previous years, the general public mocked the prepper movement. Now that everyone has been forced to endure a global pandemic, the tongue-in-cheek comments about buying storable food have all but stopped.
If you do not have storable food in today’s society, it’s like driving a vehicle without an insurance policy. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the fragility of the infrastructure and a 2nd wave could cause global catastrophe. Securing storable food helps you lock-in healthy, nutritious food at an affordable price before the inevitable panic buying begins.
If you choose to not buy storable food, you’re risking the chance of not being able to find the food you need on the store shelves in the future. When you make the choice to secure food now, you’ll only need to worry about finding shelter and procuring water. Since most people have a roof and have indoor plumbing, these two things could be solved fairly rapidly. However, if you elect to not buy storable food products, finding food that you enjoy eating could potentially be an issue in the future.
Once you order storable food, you may elect to buy some extra food with the intention of eating it as soon as you get it. Why? Because if you buy storable food and you’re forced to eat it and you don’t like the taste, you can always buy other meal plans in order to have food on hand that matches your flavor palate.
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There are many reasons that you may want to prepare emergency food storage. Like many, you may be worried and planning ahead for the next pandemic and the food shortage that will come along with it. Depending on your geological location, a natural disaster may be on your mind.
Whether you want to be prepared for a disaster, famine, economic crash, or the apocalypse itself -- emergency food prep is one of the first places you should start. Aside from a sufficient water supply (1 gallon per person/pet per day), food is the most essential item you'll need for survival.
It may seem like a simple process at first, but once you dive in, you'll realize that there are many decisions to be made. If you're having trouble deciding where to start, we've compiled a list of tips to assist you. These pointers are a great jumping off point to make sure your customized emergency food preparations contain all of the essentials.
Depending on what sort of disaster you're planning for, you'll want to prep enough food and the right kinds of food for a correlating amount of time. For example, an earthquake or hurricane may leave you stranded for a week or so, but a break in the food supply chain because of a pandemic may mean you need food for at least a month.
For short term survival, canned goods are a great way to go. You can always keep a good supply of extra canned goods set aside. Make sure you stock up on a variety of foods such as vegetables, fruits, soups, children's food, and pet food.
The University of Georgia also suggests items that can give you extra energy. Peanut butter, nuts, and granola are great options. For families, you may also want to stock some powdered milk. Make sure you have items for those with special dietary needs, such as diabetes or food allergies.
If an event occurs that causes you to be isolated for more than a week or two, you'll want to be stocked up on longer term food items. One of the number one choices for this is MREs. An MRE is a Meal Ready to Eat. MREs were created by the military in 1975, but are now readily available to the public.
If you're located in the US or Canada, Meal Kit Supply is a great place to stock up for the long haul. Our MREs are much more civilian friendly, and include food options that anyone in a survival situation would be happy to enjoy.
Most people can survive on one 1,100-1,200 calorie MRE a day. However, it never hurts to prepare for two per person per day, just in case there is unforeseen exertion of energy. The MREs contain three courses: a protein-packed entree, a side dish, and bread or crackers with a spread.
You'll be able to heat your meal with the included heater, which makes MREs the preferred option to other rations that are eaten cold or dry. They also include drink mix options, some of which contain electrolytes for that extra boost of energy.
If you've already chosen your storage space -- awesome! You're one step ahead. If you haven't, here are a few factors to consider when selecting a location for your survival food:
Basements are great options for storage, unless you live in an area where flooding is likely during a disaster. Attics work the same way, except for areas prone to tornadoes.
For the pest issue, you might consider special containers for your food. Sealed Rubbermaid containers or a free-standing cabinet are easy options, but sturdy shelves can be very helpful. You might also want to store some extra ways to transport the food, such as backpacks and wagons.
Once you have your space set up, you can really evaluate how much food you can hold. If you live in a small apartment, you might only be able to prep for a couple weeks. Large houses could have a few months of food stored in them.
It may seem easy to just dash off to the store and buy a ton of pantry food for your prep. While most canned goods are great options for short term, there are some easy alternatives you can choose that will allow your short term supply to transition to long term. Here are a few things Urban Survival Site suggests.
Go ahead and substitute standard crackers for hardtack. It's a simple, dry bread that is made of flower, water, and salt. It was commonly used for long sea voyages.
If you want to prep for cooking options, vegetable oil isn't the best way to go. Coconut oil or even lard will last about a year longer.
Unless you want to continue to restock your supply every three to six months, consider opting for foods that have a shelf life of at least one year. This means avoiding things like salad dressing, condiments, liquid and soft dairy, and bread products that can quickly go stale.
Now, if you want to include some of your favorite perishable items in your survival food supply, opt for freeze-dried versions. These can be quite expensive, so it's best to just start out with a couple. Milk, butter, eggs, and cheese should be fairly easy to find and store.
If you're a person who wants to be prepared for every possible situation, then you should also food prep for a time period longer than a year or a situation where you can't take your food supply with you.
This is where a bug-out bag comes in handy. In it, you can include some basic items for finding and capturing your own food. A few things we suggest you pack are:
Bonus: Don't get too carried away with food and forget about water. You may find that by the time you get around to collecting your water supply, your entire storage area is filled. Make sure you have room to store several gallons for each person or enough to last you the first few days to a week. After that, you might want to opt for more compact and long-term hydration options. Water purification tablets or water filtration systems are great to have on hand, and can be transported in a hurry.
]]>Food is essential for life and overall health. People need to eat in order to survive. An active young person needs enough calories to develop a good foundation for the rest of their lives. Older people need to make sure they are getting sustenance to help avoid medical issues like broken bones and cognitive decline.
People cannot go without food for more than a short time without risking major side effects. At the same time, everyone may encounter serious problems when it comes to making sure they get enough to eat. Workers can face reduced work hours in the face of a sudden economic downturn. In many parts of the world, weather conditions can disrupt food supplies on a temporary basis. A single blizzard, prolonged period of rain or ongoing outbreak of contagious diseases can leave people scrambling to get to the supermarket to feed their families.
Disaster preparedness is a must for all people. Everyone needs a supply of emergency food in the modern world. Having MREs on hand is a necessary part of any preparation plan. An emergency food supply may be imperative in the event someone is stuck at home without power for a prolonged period. It's possible to feed everyone in the family with an MRE. These prepared meals are easy to eat, delicious and have what all people need should a major disaster strike.
Earthquakes
Many areas of the country are prone to earthquakes. One of the scariest aspects of these disasters is they can't be predicted in advance. It's obvious certain places are more likely to get struck by an earthquake. What is not clear is when an earthquake might strike. The same is true of the intensity of the strike. Earthquakes are measured on a scale known as the Richter Scale. This scale is designed to measure the overall force of the problem.
All those who live in such an area should keep in mind that even a relatively minor earthquake can lead to serious problems. Such forces of nature can push down roofs, cut off bridges and upturn roads. A moderate earthquake can make it hard for people to get to work or use any form of transit to purchase food. A severe earthquake can entirely reshape the local landscape. Inhabitants may be left unable to move from their homes for days or even weeks. Having a supply of ready to eat meals can help mitigate this issue and make sure those in the affected area can be fed.
Hurricanes
Hurricanes are large water systems that form offshore. Over the course of hurricane season, a season that typically runs from June to October, several storms may form in the ocean. Many such storms remain offshore. However, a small minority can slam into areas nowhere near the shore. When these storms hit land, they can lead to a period of intense and very heavy rain. They can also bring in high winds. A system may sit over land for hours, leading to sheets of rain that can fill all surfaces.
Anyone who lives anywhere near a known hurricane zone should be fully prepared for the possibility of a hurricane strike before the season starts. All those who live in this area should also pay close attention to the news. A hurricane can be tracked for days before it meets land. However, the hurricane's path may shift suddenly. Weather forecasters can often predict where the hurricane is likely to strike when it hits land. This science is not exact. If the path veers even by ten miles, this can leave people vulnerable. Proper preparation is vitally important. Residents who live with the threat of hurricanes in their area should have a ready food food on hand just in case.
Flooding
Floods are a common problem in many areas. Some people live near bodies of water such as lakes and streams. These bodies of water can rise past the shoreline and enter a person's land after a long period of intense rain. Certain places are known as flood zones. These are areas where flooding is more likely to occur. A flood zone means an increased possibility of water where it is not wanted. Other areas, even if not in a flood zone, may have issues with flooding. Part of a person's property can have excessive water.
Flooding can interfere with the function of any home. Water may rise several feet in the kitchen, rendering appliance inoperable. A flooding kitchen is not a safe space to prepare food. Diseases can be carried by the flood waters that make entering the room dangerous. All surfaces there may be contaminated while the floor has hazards such as rotted floorboards and potentially dangerous countertops. Having MREs on hand means that the person can eat even if their food supplies are compromised as a result of a long storm. MREs are easy to eat anywhere in the home.
Severe Weather
One of the scariest things about weather is that it is entirely unpredictable. Weather forecasters can generally give a good look at what is likely to happen in a given time frame. However, this is not an exact indication. Lighting can strike unexpectedly. A swift storm may roll into an area with startling quickness. It's possible for forecasters to show that snow is probable in an area for the next few days. It's also possible for the forecasters to miss spots that may get ten inches or a strong coating of ice that downs trees and power lines.
Every single person needs to keep this in mind as they go about their daily lives. Proper preparation for the weather is essential. The last thing anyone should worry about is being caught in a storm or a period of intense heat that makes it hard to leave the hour or melts foodstuffs that had been kept in a protected area. Lighting can strike a home's roof and lead to fires. A tornado or other storm may destroy a few homes and leave the others unscathed. Having food on hand makes it much easier for all homeowners to cope with anything nature throws at them.
Pandemics
Humans are fallible creatures. Something we can't even see with the naked eye can get inside and cause grave illness. Pandemics are diseases that travel with incredible speed. In practically the blink of an eye, a disease may leave entire communities in danger. It's common during pandemics to require people to stay home as much as possible. Children may be home schooled. Adults may be told to avoid going out unless they have no other choice. If such measures continue, the occupant may find themselves short of cash from lack of work and running low on food.
Having a supply of food in the form of ready-made meals around makes it possible for people to stay safer during a pandemic. They don't have to head out worried they might bring home the latest germ in that bag of groceries. Ready-made meals help solve such problems in other ways. For a small investment, the person can be assured of having food on hand even when certain supplies may be hard to get. They can relax knowing they are covered. The-ready made meals are there for as long as they need them. MREs are a great option for a reliable food source that also offers exceptional nutrition and variety.
]]>The annals of recorded human history are filled with many different accounts of pandemics that brought death and destabilization along with them. The unfortunate reality has often been that the more urbanized and developed that humanity becomes, the possibility of pandemic disease has often been an accompanying factor. Given the history of pandemics in the human story and the current crisis that the world is undergoing with COVID-19, it is the perfect time to reflect on some of the instances of disaster that have lined the pages of history and to think about the options that are out there regarding preparedness.
When most people think about the course of history, their thoughts tend to focus on great discoveries, political movements, and wars as being driving factors. The reality is that major pandemics have been one of the greatest influencers in the course of history as well. Many instances have been recorded by humanity across the historical record. These are a few of the most notable ones.
Catastrophic Plague Lands in the City of Ancient Athens
The rise of pandemics was a common force for destabilization in the ancient world. This was certainly the case for ancient Athens in the year 430 B.C. Though the famed city was only shortly removed from its golden age, the city's citizens found themselves facing multiple crises in that year. The city was locked into the long struggle that was the Peloponnesian War which had caused its citizens to crowd in behind its walls. This turned out to be the perfect breeding ground for the disease that ended up wiping out perhaps as much as two-thirds of the inhabitants in the city.
Plagues of the Roman Imperial Period
Though the Roman Empire experienced many high points in its civilization, it was also frequently weakened by pandemics that were able to thrive it its cosmopolitan population centers. The Antonine Plague was one of these notable events and one of the destabilizing forces that eventually contributed to the collapse of the Pax Romana. The Eastern Roman Empire suffered a major health crisis during the reign of Emperor Justinian that killed off a large percentage of the empire's population and put a major damper on what had been a period of resurgence for Roman power.
The Most Infamous Outbreak of the Middle Ages
It was around the mid-point of the 14th Century that the infamous Black Death spread from Asia and across the lands of medieval Europe. This is perhaps the most famous of all the pandemics that have been recorded during the course of history. It also marked another case of societal destabilization as the society that emerged from the disease was changed from the one that had existed beforehand.
More Recent Cases of Pandemic
Historical times closer to our own have continued to see cases of epidemic illness. These outbreaks range from various outbreaks of the flu during the Twentieth Century to the peak of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. With these points in mind, it is clear that the recent COVID-19 situation is nothing new to humanity, though it might be the first time that many in the current population can remember a situation so serious.
One of the things that the history of pandemic disease tells us as a history lesson is that being prepared for a disaster is the best defense against its effects. When society starts to see a breakdown in its cohesion resulting from an outbreak of disease, survival, and preparedness end up going hand in hand. This is a fact that we understand well here at Meal Kit Supply. Our business model is based on helping people to prepare for survival by providing high-quality MREs. The MREs that we offer here at Meal Kit Supply provide a three-course serving of 1,100-1,200 calories. They are one of the most effective and efficient ways to ensure a vital supply of emergency rations are in place.
The history of MREs is a fascinating one all by itself and it is a history that extends back to the world of military rations. 1983 marks the advent of the MRE is the modern sense and the medium has improved dramatically since that time. At Meal Supply Kit, we provide high-quality MREs across the United States and the Canadian market and we have gone to great lengths to take the medium to a new level. Our MREs are of the same quality as those provided to U.S. Military personnel. This is because they are produced and packaged by the contractors that supply the military. Our three-course MRE options are great for those individuals that are serious about being prepared in any situation. Recent events have only served to underscore the importance that preparedness can play. The MREs that we provide can last up to five years when they are stored the right way and they are ready to eat. The flameless ration heater that comes with each meal makes it possible to enjoy a hot meal regardless of what disaster might come.
Utilizing foods that can last over an extended period is essential when creating MREs that can help individuals to ensure that they will be prepared. Our MREs include long-lasting ingredients such as pasta and oats and they are packaged using a system that is tried and tested for maintaining long-term shelf life. At Meal Kit Supply we provide MREs that are great for those who want to head out on a backpacking trip into the great outdoors but they are equally valuable for those that insist that they will be prepared in the face of pandemics and interruptions in the regular flow of society.
The recent global health crisis is causing a tremendous amount of stress across the world's population. One of the best ways to mitigate that stress is to know that the right steps have been taken to prepare. We are committed to helping our customers in this goal here at Meal Kit Supply. Our high-quality MREs are an essential part of the process that one can take to ensure that they are prepared to the best of their ability for what may come in the near future.
]]>Buying groceries is an everyday task that most of us take for granted under normal circumstances.
After all, there isn’t much to it. We get in our cars, we drive to the grocery store, and we select what we’d like to buy that week. We occasionally might meet a mild inconvenience or two along the way: they might be out of our favorite brand of peanut butter or we end up forgetting that one thing we really needed. Yet, for the most part, groceries are kind of a given.
Of course, that was before the Coronavirus pandemic turned everyone’s perspectives upside down.
Suddenly, it was impossible to find toilet paper. Then, the pasta and bread shelves were completely empty. Next, as full-blown panic settled over the population, the rest of the store’s goods diminished and went out of stock. In a matter of days, most of us were suddenly checking five to six stores a day just trying to find food.
Being worried that we won’t be able to find food for our loved ones is never a position we want to be in, the good news is that there are ways to make sure you're always prepared.
Being Prepared for Any Disaster
A global pandemic like COVID-19 is just one example of instances in which you’d want to make sure you have emergency food stored away. Natural disasters are inevitable and even the unlikely event of war on home soil are all possibilities for which we have to be prepared.
Pandemics typically mean that resources will be more difficult to acquire, as demand begins to exceed supply and prices start to go up. It also means that every trip outside your home is one in which you are risking infection, and therefore threatening the health of your entire household.
Having a supply of non-perishable foods such as rice, pasta, and canned foods are most people’s first step when a crisis first strikes. That’s why these items are usually the first to go and the hardest to find if you didn’t already have a good supply before the outbreak.
We need more ways of making sure our pantries are stocked that don’t rely on our local grocery chains or force us to risk exposure to others shoppers.
Introducing the MRE
MREs, or Meals Ready to Eat, are one of the easiest ways to stay prepared in almost any disastrous situation. No doubt, you’ve heard of them before, whether it was listening to your grandpa tell old war stories or as the butt of jokes from buddies in the military.
Truthfully though, MREs are one of the most practical ways to relieve the stress of food preparation during a global disaster. They last for up to five years and take up virtually no room in your cupboard.
With a supply of them on hand, you also don’t have to worry about running out of food in case of a full government-issued quarantine. In an actual lockdown, food becomes even more impossible to find. In such an instance, MREs are that extra blanket of security that your family won’t go hungry.
Plus, the quality of MREs has improved drastically over the past few decades. No longer are they carefully rationed out bits of dried meat and stale bread for poor soldiers. Nowadays, the military isn’t even the only group of people who utilize MREs on a regular basis.
Survivalists, avid campers, and emergency teams all find value in MREs, in some instances to survive and in others, to enhance recreational pleasure. With the bar raised, MREs today are packed full of way more nutrients than their predecessors and taste good enough for even the pickiest of kids.
How to Use MREs During a Global Epidemic
There are a few things to keep in mind if you’re planning on using MREs to supply your pantry full of emergency food.
Make Sure You Have Enough
It’s easy to underestimate the power of one whole meal in a single packet. On one hand, it’s reassuring and convenient to know you are being provided with everything you need in a single, ready-to-eat meal. However, you want to make sure that you’ll have enough of those meals to last your family for an extended period of time. Buy in bulk if you have to, and have enough MREs for everyone in your family for at least two weeks.
Go with high-quality MREs that provide enough sustenance to last you for hours, instead of the lower quality ones that barely fill you up in one sitting. Meals with high calorie counts and a variety of food items in one meal are far superior to others.
Have the Proper Resources
MREs rely on water and heat in order to be eaten at optimal quality. It’s always a good rule of thumb to have plenty of bottled water on hand as well when preparing for a pandemic. Some MREs come with their own heating units in case you wind up with no access to electricity or gas.
Sometimes, though, things get really desperate. In these instances, when you’re short on other resources or want to reserve them for something else, keep in mind that many MREs can even be eaten dry. Though it may not taste the way they were intended, you’ll still get all your calories and nutrients you need to get you through it.
Proper Storage
Stocking up on MREs won’t do you any good if they’re all busted up by the time you go to use them. Instead of throwing them on a shelf or into a corner of your pantry, dedicate a clearly-labelled, airtight bin to your MRE supply. This will keep them safe from any external factors that could damage them and make them unusable, such as pets tearing them open, water damage, kids getting curious, or even misplacing them.
High quality MRE brands will also take precaution to make their packs as durable as possible, since most are made to withstand a variety of elements anyway. Look for brands that use military-grade components and are waterproof, to make sure they won’t have a problem lasting.
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The Meal-Ready-To-Eat, or MRE, is a culinary staple for any soldier, sailor, airman, or Marine serving in our Armed Forces. It comes in recognizable brown plastic pouches with the words "Ready-to-Eat, Individual" running down the side. Its contents usually consist of a packet of crackers or bread, a spread of cheese, peanut butter, or jelly, an accessory pack, some powdered beverage mix of someone kind, a side dish, and the main course. The main course is always different, but whatever it is, the entree is always printed on the pouch, so you always know what you're getting. Whether it's Chili Mac or Chicken with Egg Noodles & Vegetables, each entree comes in its own plastic pouch that can be heated with the flameless ration heater that comes in every MRE. Simply open the flameless ration heater, insert the entree pouch and add water, being careful not to it overfill it. This makes the heater useless. But not to worry: if we look on the heater we'll see the instructions telling us exactly how to effectively cook our entree. Wait a few minutes and dinner is served.
The MRE is the perfect emergency food, saving the lives of many soldiers by providing a warm meal in the most desperate of situations and environments. It is the culmination of a long line of military issue rations used by the Armed Forces going as far back as the Revolutionary War.
During World War I, the military and civilian populations of the US faced food shortages. Based on findings by the Division of Food and Nutrition of the Medical Department that showed garrison rations were not only providing an excess of food, but they were nutritionally unbalanced and extremely high in fat, a new training ration was developed to avoid waste. The Reserve Ration came with 12 ounces of bacon or a pan of canned meat, usually something like corned beef hash.
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Mention stockpiling survival food and a topic that is bound to come up is MREs. Maybe you are new to prepping and are wondering exactly what MREs actually are. If so, we think you will find the following information very useful.
What are MREs?
MRE is actually a military acronym that stands for Meals, Ready to Eat. Hence, the term MRE is used by service members when referring to prepackaged rations that are normally eaten in the field. Designed to ensure that soldiers are always well fed, they contain every component of a complete meal. They are also packed in such a way that they remain fresh and do not require any refrigeration whatsoever.
Although Meals, Ready-to Eat are available only to service members, civilian versions of MREs exist as well. Like those designed for the military, they are complete meals inside a vacuum-sealed pouched. Each one contains an entrée, side item, bread or cracked, dessert, beverage mix, and condiments. You can eat them hot or cold as each one also contains its own flameless, disposable heater.
History of MREs
The Meal, Ready-to-Eat first made its appearance in 1975, and was touted as a replacement for the unpopular Meal, Combat, Individual or MCI. The initial reception however was not what the military had hoped for. Accordingly, they began working on improvements such as a flameless heater and more palatable desserts.
Today, a team of individuals is constantly evaluating needs and desires of soldiers to come up with more palatable menus that people will enjoy eating. This has resulted in a wider selection of entrees and even a few vegetarian options.
Our rations are designed by government contractors who are familiar with military MREs. As such, they contain many of the same menu items as rations given to service members.
Components of Meals, Ready-to-Eat
Each pouch contains a full, three-course meal that is approximately 1,100-1,200 calories in all. Each contains an entrée or main dish such as beef stew, chicken enchiladas, or spaghetti with sauce. The entrée is sealed inside its own inner pouch, and does not require rehydrating. You can eat the main dish directly from the package, or use the enclosed ration heater to warm it up.
Side dishes can be vegetables, fruits, or starches. Some can be heated, while others are designed for you to eat straight from the pouch. For example, raisins, nuts, and trail mix are popular ready-to-eat side dishes.
Crackers and/or bread is served along with a spread such as peanut butter, jelly, or cheese. Their tight vacuum seal ensures that they remain crisp and fresh for up to five years after packaging.
No meal is complete without a dessert. Some common desserts found in Meals, Ready-to-Eat include cookies, brownies, or packaged candy.
Flavored drink mixes give people something to look forward to other than just drinking water. Some are similar to sports drinks in that they contain added electrolytes to help ward off dehydration. A few will also contain cocoa, coffee, tea, or another hot beverage mix that you can use to warm yourself up with.
Other Items
Aside from food items, each unit contains:
Condiments that vary based upon the entrée
Benefits of MREs
When it comes to survival food, Meals, Ready-to-Eat are a great choice for a number of reasons. First, their unique packaging allows them to stay fresh for up to five years. This means it is easy to stockpile food far in advance of any emergency.
MREs do not require any refrigeration. As such, you will not have to worry about them spoiling in the event of a power outage. And while they do not require any power to store, they can also be heated without electricity or an alternative heating source.
You can easily carry MREs with you. Consequently, many people keep a few on hand in their bug-out bag, vehicle, or camper “just in case.” The meals are also very easy to grab whenever you need to evacuate in a hurry.
Prepackaged meals such as these have all the nutritional requirements you need to remain healthy. At the same time, they offer additional calories that will provide you with added energy at a time when you are likely to need it the most.
Who are MREs Good For?
We’ve already mentioned that Meals, Ready-to-Eat are a great source of emergency food. However, you should consider having a few on hand even if you are not into prepping. For example, they make ideal meals for camping, hunting, fishing, hiking, or any other form of outdoor recreation because they do not require a cooler.
Emergency rescue personnel often keep these rations on hand for a number of reasons. First, they may offer them to disaster victims who might otherwise have nothing to eat. First responders themselves also carry them because they are easy to eat while on the go.
Scouting groups can use MREs for educational purposes. By teaching kids about them, scout leaders can help troop members hone their own survival skills. Showing children how to properly use flameless ration heaters will also promote their safety.
Those living in coastal areas are often concerned with having emergency food on hand during hurricane season. By stocking a few cartons of MREs, these individuals can effectively prepare for severe weather for up to five seasons.
Storing Meals
To get the maximum shelf life possible, store your rations in a cool, dark place with a controlled temperature of between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Ensure good airflow by placing your rations on pallets or dunnage, leaving around six to twelve inches of space on all sides.
Check expiration dates often, and rotate stock as needed to ensure you are always using the oldest meals first. Inspect your storage area often for signs of insects or vermin. If noticed, take the appropriate pest control measures at once.
Everyone can Enjoy MREs
Meals, Ready-to-Eat are ideal for a number of situations and are therefore great for nearly everyone to have on hand. Since they last longer than most canned goods, they can also be a very economical choice for preppers who are on a budget. We offer a variety of meals that are perfect for prepping, outdoor survival, disaster relief, or a variety of other occasions. Please contact us or visit our website to find out more.
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Zion National Park
Zion is hot right now. This beautiful park is nestled in the southwest corner of the state of Utah. This is a diverse landscape that varies from dry dessert areas with orange colored arches and outcroppings to lush green oases with natural water features. The Virgin River carves its way through the canyon. A hike along the river offers breathtaking views. The night sky is lit up with a blanket of stars.
Banff National Park
Banff is one of the most beautiful locations in the heart of the Canadian Rockies. It is a year round outdoor playground. Banff caters to those who absolutely love to explore the great outdoors and all that the Rockies have to offer. The free-standing limestone pillars beckon to adventurous climbers and hikers. You can climb the rock face of Squaw Mountain or off-road cycle along Healy Creek.
The Hawaiian Islands
The islands of Hawaii have some of the best hiking and natural wonders to take in. Plus, they are surrounded by the Pacific Ocean! The Big Island has fabulous black sand beaches, lush rain forests, snow covered peaks, and solidified lava deserts. The biggest natural attraction is the active Kilauea volcano.
Maui is ideal for those travelling with children. Oahu attracts surfers and outdoor adventurers. Kauai has some of the most spectacular hikes along the lush cliffs towering over the ocean.
Grand Teton National Park
Sitting just above the ski resort of Jackson Hole are the towering Teton Mountains at 13,770 feet tall. The peaks are capped with snow. The most photographed areas of the park are Jackson and Jenny Lakes
that grab the reflections of the peaks. In the high summer season, hikers hit the area's trails in search of spectacular mountain views and hidden waterfalls. The Snake River is popular with rafters.
This park is 500 square miles. It boasts of black bears, grizzlies, bison, and moose. Travel just north and you are in Yellowstone National Park.
The White Mountains
The White Mountains are a spans over approximately one quarter of the state of New Hampshire and into a corner of the state of Maine in Northeastern United States. This is one of our favorite areas to hike along the Appalachian Trail. They are part of the northern Appalachian Mountains and the most rugged mountains in New England. The range is heavily visited by both New Englanders and residents of Quebec, Canada.
The Presidential Range, as this part of the Appalachian Trail is referred to, includes the 6,288 foot tall Mount Washington, the highest peak in the Northeastern United States. Mount Washington is known for its weather extremes. For this reason, there is an observatory on top of the mountain for research. It is possible to drive to the summit. However, this mountain is a climber’s dream. You will go from dense forest to tundra conditions.
Planning Meals for Your Trip
Before heading to your destination, you will want to plan your meals and make sure you bring the best food choices that will last the longest. Think like a survivalist so that you are prepared for anything. MRE kits are a great place to start.
MRE stands for Meal Ready to Eat. Each MRE Meal Kit contains military grade rations and include a 3 course 1,200 calorie meal with an entrée, a side dish, a bread or cracker with spread (peanut butter or jelly) or cheese, a dessert, and electrolyte beverage mixes. Each kit also contains condiments, a napkin, a spoon, and a flameless ration heater.
These kits are shelf stable and designed to last up to five years when properly stored. The food is pre-cooked and ready for consumption. The flameless ration heater enables you to enjoy a hot meal.
In addition to dehydrated, freeze-dried, and vacuum sealed foods there are certain natural and properly packaged foods that last quite a long time that you can pack for your excursion as well. In our experience, the foods with the longest shelf-life include:
Salt is a naturally occurring mineral that can literally last forever if not contaminated.
Canned Foods will last much longer than fresh produce. Consider beans, vegetables, fruit, chili, and sardines in cans.
Honey is an excellent long-lasting food that can be used in place of sugar for sweetening just about anything. It also has antibacterial properties.
Sugar won’t last as long as honey. However, if it is stored in air-tight and pest-proof containers it can last a few years.
Vinegar is a great preservative. You can preserve vegetables and animal protein in pressure sealed jars for a very long time.
Powdered Milk is a great substitute for real milk. There really is no safe way to carry real milk in a backpack without it spoiling. Powdered milk can quickly be reconstituted with water for cereal or coffee.
Rice can last for years if it is stored in closed containers that will not allow moisture or pests in.
Peanut Butter is one of our favorite foods for hiking and camping. It provides energy in the form of protein and fat. A jar or tube of peanut butter can last up to 2 years.
Storing Foods for Trips and Emergencies
Proper storage is paramount to the shelf life of food. Cool, dry, dark environments are best. Air-tight containers are necessary to deter mold and pests.
Rotation is just as important. We recommend you clearly date any food you are storing, if there isn’t already an expiration or best buy date stamped on the packaging. Place the oldest foods on the front of a shelf and be sure to eat these first. As soon as foods hit their expiration date, rotate the foods from the back of the shelf to the front and replace with more new foods. Organization is a good habit when stockpiling.
As advocates and preparers of MRE kits for military needs, camping trips, survival, and emergencies, we think everyone in North America can benefit from keeping some stores of food on hand. Meal Kits can take the guesswork out of your meal storage needs.
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Whether you are a prepper or simply like being ready for emergencies, having sufficient food on hand is a critical part of such survival preparedness. At Meal Kit Supply, we are MRE retailers for customers in Canada and the United States. These Meals, Ready to Eat are a great choice as an emergency or survival food stock in case of unplanned for occurrences. Additionally, we realize that there are many different natural foods that last a long time that are also good for your pantry or other places you want to keep a food stash for long-term availability.
For home emergency food storage, we know it is wise to have a space apart from your regular kitchen shelves or pantry to store this food, so it doesn't end up being eaten accidentally over time. Whether you get snowed in for a week and forgot to go to the store before the storm hit or have a different emergency, the following food items should still be good and ready to eat whenever you need them.
Dried Beans
These have long been known as an ideal food for preppers because of their ridiculously long shelf life. When properly packaged and stored, dried beans can last up to 30 years, which means they'll be there whenever you need them. That they're also healthy due to being high in protein, fiber and rich in nutrients is a wonderful added plus. Pinto beans are a popular choice, and you can make a meal out of them by adding the next item on our list.
Rice
Rice has a similar storage life to dried beans, and they go together so well! This is an incredibly cheap food that is both easy to get and store. You can store white rice, brown rice or a combination of these and more.
Rolled Oats
Oats are known for being a healthy, cholesterol-friendly food. They contain an excellent soluble fiber and have about the same shelf life as dried beans and rice. We also love their versatility because they can be prepared in different ways and used in a wide variety of meals and recipes.
Pasta
Whatever size, shape or variety of pasta noodle you prefer, it is a generally excellent contribution to any survival food stash. We love it for adding carbohydrates to any mix of stored foods. You definitely want to check the shelf life of any pasta you look at in the store because it can vary substantially. Properly stored pasta should last for one to three decades, and you can mix up the taste with a variety of sauces and spices.
Dehydrated Fruits
These add a tasty snack option to the somewhat bland foods mentioned so far. If you're a serious prepper, you may even want to get your own food dehydrator and make your own dried fruit. We realize that this will be a bit too ambitious for many. Packages of dried raisins, apple slices, dates, apricots and other similar fruits are plentiful at many stores. We simply recommend you check the expiration dates on any packages to see that whatever ones you go with have the shelf life you desire.
Cheese
Because it's a dairy food, cheese may not come to mind as a food that would be good for long-term storage, and indeed, it probably won't keep as long as many other items on this list. There are some cheese options, such as freeze-dried cheeses, that are sold specifically as emergency or survival food with long-term storage potential.
Dehydrated Vegetables
We know you'll be clamoring for more vegetable variety than just a few types of beans. Two favorites in this category would be dried carrots and dried corn. Dehydrated carrots can last up to 25 years, and dried corn is cheap, yummy and will easily last at least 10 years.
Lentils and Peas
These legumes will last about 5 years. When storage longevity is your goal, we recommend you stock up on whole lentils rather than the split variety. Lentils and peas are known for being high in protein, and they are also a good source of fiber.
Honey, Sugar and Maple Syrup
Fortunately for our sweet tooth, we are happy to report that these delicious sweeteners last and last for the haul. Salt and soy sauce also last a good long time, so at least surviving a long emergency situation will not mean having to put up with bland, barely palatable food.
Coffee and Tea
If the thought of facing some long-term dreaded future survival scenario without your morning cup of coffee is too horrifying to contemplate, rest at ease. Not only do coffee and tea last 10 years or longer but so does cocoa powder. Many of us can face seemingly insurmountable challenges as long as we have our coffee or tea.
Powdered Milk
Milk is popular as both a beverage with certain foods and as an ingredient for untold numbers of recipes. In its powdered form, it should last over 20 years. It's a good source of protein.
Meals, Ready to Eat by Meal Kit Supply
Admittedly, these are prepackaged complete meals rather than individual natural foods like the others on the list. Hey, you didn't think we were going to end this without plugging our own ultimate contribution to your emergency food kit or prepper pantry, did you? At Meal Kit Supply, we are proud of the variety of tasty, long-lasting MREs we sell. They will last up to five years, which is more than sufficient for most emergency or survival situations.
Each three-course MRE has 1,200 calories and plenty of flavor, so you'll have the energy to power your way through any rough situation and have tasty, instant meals to help you enjoy it. Best of all, they incorporate a flameless heater, so you have the option of enjoying a hot meal.
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Natural disasters cause billions, if not trillions of dollars in damages every year. Most natural catastrophes will give you some type of warning before they strike. Unfortunately, earthquakes don't fall into that category. They can happen anywhere at anytime, and often leave a path of destruction in their wake.
It's always a good idea to prepare for any natural disasters that are the most common wherever you live. While earthquakes are more prevalent in some areas than others, they've been known to occur almost anywhere. If you are in the process of putting together a plan for earthquake preparation, here are some things to think about.
Earthquake-Proof Your Home
Some earthquakes will only rattle you around a bit. But, your goal should be to prepare for the ones that shake a little harder, challenging the structural integrity of your home. There are a few different things that you can do to your home to prepare for earthquake (earthquake) damage, and minimize the potentially dangerous aftermath.
Have a Plan
You should prepare for earthquakes, just like you would for fire safety or any other emergency plan that your family has in place. Have a solid plan ready, and make sure that your entire family is well versed on what to do in the event of an earthquake. And, practice and talk about your preparedness plan on a regular basis like you would any other emergency plan. Here are a few things that every member of your household should know.
Assess The Situation
The first thing that you'll want to do after an earthquake is to make sure that your loved ones are safe. Depending on how severe of an earthquake it is, your local utility and phone services might not be available immediately. It's always a good idea to designate a far-away, close friend or relative as your family's emergency contact. Everyone should know who they will be calling after an earthquake to let them know that they are safe.
It's very possible that you and your family won't be together when an earthquake strikes. Designating a meeting place after an earthquake is always a good idea.
Make sure that everyone knows what to do while the earthquake is happening to protect themselves from danger. This would include getting under heavy furniture, staying out our doorways, avoiding areas where there is glass that could break, getting near the stronger interior walls, and avoiding buildings and power lines if they're outside.
Have a Disaster Kit
A big part of preparing yourself for an earthquake is having a disaster kit ready to take care of you and your family. A strong earthquake can easily make your everyday life somewhat of a struggle. Here are some things that you'd want to have in a safe place for if and when the unthinkable should happen.
Earthquake Insurance
Don't assume that your homeowner's insurance policy will cover you in the event of an earthquake. Earthquake insurance isn't a part of most regular policies. The minimal cost of adding this protection to your insurance policy will give some peace of mind in knowing that your possessions are protected if they are destroyed by an earthquake.
MREs
One part of your preparedness plan that you can easily take care of ahead of time is securing safe, readily available foods to stock for earthquake preparedness. Back in the days of early bomb shelters, emergency supplies often consisted of bland canned goods requiring can openers. And, there were rarely reliable reheating sources for emergency food supplies.
At Meal Kit Supply, we've utilized the latest technology to produce high quality packaged meals that are ideal for your earthquake preparation plan. Initially created to sustain our troops when they were deployed for long periods of time, our MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) are now widely used by survivalists, campers, and emergency teams, providing a convenient, nutritious, and flavorful food supply.
MREs have the nutritional value that your family needs, they taste great, are easily stored, and can last up to five years. Each 1,200 calorie meal kit consists of an entree, a side dish, dessert, and a variety of beverage mixes. We even offer electrolyte drinks. The MRE kits also include condiments, a spoon and a napkin, and a flameless ration heater.
Including MRE's in your earthquake preparation plan is the perfect way to make sure that your family has a safe, nutritious food supply until daily life returns to normal. Contact us today and we'll be glad to go over the various options that you have for foods to stock for earthquake survival.
Be Prepared
Earthquakes are one of the most sudden and erratic disasters known to humankind. Being prepared for the worst can give you that peace of mind that even in dire situations, you can bring some sort of order and calmness to your loved ones. Remember to remain calm, assess the situation, and utilize the items wisely in your disaster kit.
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