I was wondering what the military is giving out as the "military rations" along with the bags of ice and cases of water bottles. Anyone know? I'd also like to know what FEMA gives out, in case we find ourselves dining al fresco on government grub some day.

In it has been a combination of standard MREs and the Humanitarian version of the MREs called HDR (Humanitarian Daily Ration). You will more then likely get the HDRs which are basically vegan (no animal products) and have no heater. These are typically in a Pink or Yellow package similar to the MRE packaging and contain around 2200 calories... They are pretty much horrible, worse then the current menu of MREs.

Other agencies will have other meals and food stuffs and when they setup shelters they will more then likely provide hot meals as soon as they are able to. There are some caterers that are setup specifically to support emergency incidents that travel around supporting disasters and fires that have some pretty good food (especially considering the quantities they produce).

The third option beyond MREs and HDRs (heh heh, I love the army's obsession with acronyms) are so called Heater Meals or Jimmy Deans. Heater meals contain a tub style TV dinner and a heater. "Jimmy Deans" contain off the shelf ready to eat canned food in single serving all inclusive meals (there is probably a correct name for them, but most people call them Jimmy Deans). Its what the Army feeds people when they don't feel they need an MRE. Like missed meals in garrison, versus giving you a field ration.

From one of the pictures I saw on Yahoo the "Jimmy Dean" is what I'd expect. The caption said MREs but the box definitely wasn't an MRE box, looks like the "Jimmy Dean" meal box. They're generally horrible, I'd much prefer an MRE. I think they may have the benefit of being cheaper then MREs. They'll have canned macaroni and cheese, canned frank and beans, Bumblebee Ham salad, etc. plus a few extras like canned fruit cocktail or Pringles. This is where a small stove will make its weight as several of these things are fairly nasty cold, but much better hot.

I'm surprised that the civilian version of the veggie MREs are so bad. In my experience, the veggie MREs are some of the best. The pasta is excellent. Some of the worst are the meat dishes, such as those labeled "chunked and formed" which are anything but appetizing. Trying them without the heater is even worse, such as when we were sealed in a military building in FPCON "Delta" just after 9/11, and MREs were distributed to us, but the heaters could not be used as we were indoors and the chemical heater fumes were determined to be hazardous. But that's another story...

I was just doing a little reading on HDRs and ran across a factoid about why there are pink (technically, salmon colored) and yellow versions.

The original HDR was yellow, and shortly after the invasion of Afghanistan started, the US started air dropping HDRs all over the place (actually, I remember seeing news reports of this). Unfortunately, unexploded cluster munitions are also yellow in color and there was a concern that people would inadvertently blow themselves up trying to collect these yellow-colored objects that had fallen from the sky. I mean, the cluster bombs were shaped like cans. How's an illiterate farmer supposed to know that it's not a can of beans or something? There were radio broadcasts warning the civilian population about the danger. I sure hope no one did get confused between the two.

Hmm, that sounds too much like Soylent Red and Soylent Yellow to me. No thanks.

I'm told that the Red Cross works extensively with the Southern Baptists to prepare food in Gulf Coast shelters, and its pretty good, not MREs or HDRs as long as their kitchens are open.

Another Red Cross volunteer who has staffed shelters many times warned to bring along some of your own provisions - apples, granola bars etc - as especially early on they may not have the food logistics worked out and will go hungry, or will be eating bags of chips and other junk food that don't particularly nourish you.

I was originally thinking that these HDRs in places like Afghanistan were air dropped on pallets all wrapped up in yards of plastic wrap and land by parachute. But doing more reading, apparently the individual HDRs were just dumped out of the plane loose, and the packaging is designed so the meals "flutter" to the ground, slowing them down just enough to keep the bags from spliting open on impact.

Well, gee, that delivery method sure sounds like what happens when you drop a cluster bomb, too. No wonder the fear of people getting the two mixed up!

Cows are herbivores, geesh every knows that except it seems the corporations who turn cattle in to burgers. Dead folks become natural fertiliser anyway, it just takes a little longer. Hmm Sounds like a agrochemical/petrochemical/industrial agent provocateur who has infiltrated the 'green movement' to spout utter drivel to undermine those that warn against the future problems of global warming.

I caught wind of the Penn and Teller episode on Being Green. They espoused the assertion that 97% of the CO2 produced is from natural phenomena, like rotting organic matter, volcanic activity, and forest fires, which leaves 3% attributed directly to human activity. 3% doesn't seem like much of an impact. In fact, it seems more like it would be in the realm of statistical error. One too many forest fires, the human factor is in the grass.

Conversely, I see where the notion of scrubbing the atmosphere with CO2 collectors is getting attention, again. I guess that'd be a good justification for all this wind power we want to implement. Gee, use a more expensive form of energy to counteract the effects of the cheaper form, I'm all for it...beats building another coal plant to do the same I suppose.

LOL

Someone's worried about CO2? I hadn't heard.

From what they are showing on television here locally they are similar to MRE's.

I drove by one of the FEMA PODS an hour or so a go in Friendswood Texas and there were dozens of cars waiting. I do not fully understand why there folks are in this situation. The grocery stores are open and well stocked. The water system is functioning and according to the cities safe! Electricity is about 80% in the area. Give me a break!

"I drove by one of the FEMA PODS an hour or so a go in Friendswood Texas and there were dozens of cars waiting. I do not fully understand why there folks are in this situation. The grocery stores are open and well stocked. The water system is functioning and according to the cities safe! Electricity is about 80% in the area."

Well, they're giving away FREE stuff, aren't they?

Sue

"... why not nuclear power then? Is relatively clean, insofar as we can just bury the debris in the middle of nowhere and it's pretty safe..."

People who like to think nuclear power is clean always want to bury the debris in someone else's state. You want it, bury it in YOUR backyard. (Hmmm... all of a sudden it doesn't seem THAT safe, does it?)

Sue

Same goes for oil refineries. No one wants a refinery in their back yard and that's understandable. So, if you aren't willing to have one in your back yard, do without oil based fuels (gasoline, diesel, kerosene, etc.) and all of the byproducts of a refinery.

"...dozens of cars waiting...grocery stores are open and well stocked..."

They want the free stuff, pure and simple...

U know they may be getting supply's for the next Hurricane.
sure,LOL

Out at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation (where I worked for a while; an area roughly the size of Rhode Island), they are still finding radioactive waste in places they had no idea about from the 40s and 50s. We dug up one vitreous clay line that wasn't on any drawings anywhere, and it was so hot it pegged the needle on all scales. We lost the trackhoe because they said it would be cheaper to replace it than to try and decon it. That was the first time I ever saw a Health Physics technician run from a dig.

Yucca Mountain is supposed to be our "National Repository", some day, but even though it is located in a "mostly useless for anything else" area, the enviros and the politicos have still got that place tied up legally, and so all the Nuke plants are holding their waste on site in temporary containers until we decide what to do with it. Suspending it in glass inside of stainless steel containers that are then planted in a big concrete block seems to be the best way to store it indefinitely. The prototype plant for that process is still being built, and the cost is going to be over $10 billion just for the prototype, with no certainty that the main plant will ever be constructed. The underground tank storage being used now is not so good they've discovered, and it's cost us billions to try and remedy that problem and we're nowhere near done yet.

I am a big proponent of using Nuclear energy. I have no good suggestions on what to do with the waste at this time, but it will be around for quite a while, so I am sure someone will come up with a good idea, eventually. Just realize that the cost of building and running a nuclear plant is considerable. It is not anywhere near being the cheapest source of energy available to us yet.

It's easier & cheaper to monitor and provide security to one large site than many smaller sites.

In addition it's desirable that nuclear waste be stored in an area that is stable for long periods, perhaps tens of thousands of years. Nuclear plants need vast amounts of water for cooling and are usually located on rivers or coasts and as such are unsuitable sites over long periods.

Yucca Mountain has another advantage: it's already contaminated, or at least in the test range used for nuclear bomb testing years ago. Using that site won't create any new long-term risk areas.

Injecting casks into the seafloor in front a subduction zone might be better but would be enormously expensive.

"...run from a dig..."

What is it that EOD tee shirt says, something like "If You See Me Running, Try to Keep Up"???

I am a fan of nuclear too, but what scares me is that, even tho we are talking money in the billions, with the government involved lots of stuff will be lowest bid. Everyone knows what you get with lowest bid...

I once thought of sending Blast a shirt that said:

But then I thought about it and changed it to:

I really like the second one...

A neighbor brought me some of the emergency meals they are handing out after Ike. They come in a cardboard box which contain three "meals". The meals consist of MRE-stylle entree, a small bag of chips, boxed milk (irradiated so it doesn't need to be kept cool), a fruit cup, assorted drink mixes, and napkins. I'll get pictures up at some point. Each car gets one (maybe two, I'm not positive) box of these, one case of bottles water and two bags of ice.

-Blast

Dang Blast, that don't sound too bad now, do it?

No, it should say:
My name is Blast.
Kneel.

-Blast

Blast, my friend, how many times do we have to go over this? I am "Fire King" whereas you are merely First Chemist and Minister of Demolitions.

Methinks it may depend on what Blast is holding in his hands at the time. Kneel may be an appropriate warning.

Well, okay. Can I have my own squad of cheerleaders, though? Lady cheerleaders, not the male cheerleaders SBRaider keeps around him.

Oh, an oil refinery could be fun, too.

-Blast

[delurk]

I believe the word you're looking for is "duck".

[/delurk]

Better yet, Minister of Ducks! It'll be our way of weeding out the stupid.

Cut to royal hearld blowing trumpet and anouncing, "Blast, Minister of Ducks!".

Guy looks around. "Why is everyone crouching down?"

BOOM!

Smart people stand back up and wipe off gooey bits. Party continues, now free of stupid person.

-Blast, dreaming

um, is this more like a 3 way sort?
1 Stupid = converted to gooey bits,
2 sort of paying attention and reasonably with it = covered with gooey bits
3 fully prepared = not covered with gooey bits and ready to party with the minister of ducks

- Eric

Just because I sent you male cheerleaders, I kept the females. Didn't want you i trouble with the DW.

When around Blast, be ready to run - FAST - away from him.

One of my favorite post-hurricane supplies is aluminum cans of water. At least in Florida, Budweiser just switched their plant to can water for a while and donated it. Cue Budweiser vs. water jokes.

Once, as a result of a pretty major earthquake, I came into possession of a case or three of those white painted cans of Bud water. Saved them for another "emergency." A few months later they bulged and some blew. I have always wondered why...

Exactly my point, which is why out at the blind we say duck if the flock is coming in, and kneel if Grandad wants to take a shot and is still sitting on the bench. It got to be a habit, so cue the "kneel" order anytime Blast has a big smile on his face, or is acting excited about something.

Technically, as King, I would be entitled to the [female] cheerleaders. However, considering I have the Queen to myself I won't be needing them. God Save the Queen.

On the other hand, as Supreme Dictator for Life I am personally responsible for your spiritual welfare.

I will grant you the oil refinery, in keeping with your title of First Chemist, not as Minister of Demolitions. Save that for your fiefdom in Nevada.

Earth to Tom, it's time to take your medication again...

Sorry, I'm back now. Really.


Wow. Are you sure they didn't freeze? That's the only think I can think of that would cause that. Botulism needs something to "eat" besides water...