Feb 12 2008
Freeze Dried Meals
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Per Nitro-Pak website;
Our “Easy Meal Security-Pak™”
Provides 45 Gourmet Meals… Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner for
One Person for 45 Days, A Family of 5 for 9 Days, or 15 People for 3 Days!
Feb 11 2008
by terryfitzroy
Did you know that it is more important to store clean water in case of an emergency than it is to store food? There are many reasons for this fact, but the first may or may not be obvious to you.
Did you know that if there were a terrorist attack, that water supply would most likely be the first thing that gets cut off? Did you know that your city water supply is at a higher risk to be contaminated than the food in the grocery store is? In case of an emergency, you are going to want to stock up on both food, and water. But if you have to choose one, it needs to be as much clean drinking water as possible.
You can live longer without food than you can without water. This is the second reason why it is more important. The human body needs water like a car needs gas and oil. It is said by some biologist that 75% of our bodies are made up of water. When your body has a lack of water, immediately you will start to show signs of dehydration. Many people feel like food is more important mainly because they can feel hunger pains, and recognize them much better than they can feel dehydration beginning to affect their bodies. Some of the common symptoms of dehydration are muscle twitching, headaches, dryness of mouth, and blurry vision.
In fact, most of your common body aches can be traced back to a single cause: Not drinking enough water.
You should drink 64 ounces of water per day. That equals eight, 8 ounce glasses of water per each set of 24 hours.
That might seem like a lot of water to you, but truthfully, it ‘s the recommended minimum amount. Drinking more won’t hurt. The easiest way to accomplish this is to keep a water bottle with you at all times and as soon as it is empty, fill it up again.
Food is important, don’t get me wrong. But you can potentially go weeks without eating, while you most likely won’t make it one week with no clean drinking water. So what are we to do? Start saving every single milk jug container you can.
Most families go through a gallon or more per week, sometimes two. Instead of throwing them away, wash them out thoroughly, and fill them with filtered, clean drinking water. Start stashing them away someplace safe, like in your basement or in your garage. In a few short months you’ll have a few dozen gallons of clean water, and if you somehow face a crisis, you’ll be prepared to make it for the long haul.
Another thing you can do is start stocking up on it at the grocery store when you see a sale. Water is pretty cheap. Even if you buy the brand name stuff, you can usually find a 24 pack of water for less than five bucks. Many grocery stores also sell jugs of water. Each time you go grocery shopping, make it a point to buy one.
This will also maintain your supply if you build it up over time. 50 gallons or more may be needed if drinking water is contaminated. 50 gallons can get you through for several weeks until you are able to go elsewhere, so make it your goal to save at least that much water. It could save your life, and others you know.
Terry Fitzroy is a professional writer specializing in freeze dried food and disaster preparedness To learn more about Water Storage visit SurvivalSolutions.com
“Civil defense experts have for years suggested that you store approximately 2 gallons per day per person for two weeks.”
For their 30 gallon water container they say;
“Now you can purchase a water storage package that comes complete with everything you need. Just fill with tap water, add the 5 year stabilizer, and seal the caps with the included bung wrench. That’s it! For businesses, this package can also supply water for up to 3 days for 36 people. This unit uses 30 gallon size containers that will supply a family of four for 2 weeks. We also offer a 55 gallon size container unit which will provide up to 4 weeks of water for the same family. Both use our heavy-duty water barrels sold in the Storage Barrel Category. Each container is brand new, never used.
Included items:
Feb 09 2008
Freeze dried meals have become popular in the last 25 years among hikers and campers as an easy to prepare food. You can carry freeze dried food in your backpack in pouches and can eat them hot or cold in minutes with no preparation, just add water.
These same properties also make freeze dried food ideal as a survival food reserve.
Freeze dried food in sealed nitrogen flushed #10 cans have these great survival food benefits;
A Large quantity, up to one year of freeze dried food can be stored in a pallet sized space. You can try a a box of freeze dried meal pouches first with your family to decide if the taste is right for you.
So Freeze Dried Food comes in pouches often used by hikers as well #10 cans from Mountain House brand foods.
Oregon Freeze Dry markets Mountain House food.
Here are some facts about Oregon Freeze Dry;
It is important to note that pouches only last 6-7 years where the #10 cans can last up to 25 years if stored in a cool dry place. The cans last longer because they are better sealed and nitrogen packed. Nitrogen displaces the air and so there is no oxygen in the cans which gives them long life. This is better than vacuum packing.
You will need to have water available to re-hydrate the freeze dried food. Total water reserve for should be between 1 to 1.5 gallons per person per day.
The one advantage MRE has over Freeze dried food is that MRE is better suited to “on the go” situations since it does not require water and usually comes with “flameless ration heaters”. But MRE only stores 6-7 years and costs twice as much. I recommend survival food reserves to have both a long term freeze dried food reserve and also a short term 2-3 week supply of MREs.
Platinum Food Reserve
Food supports 4 People for 3 Months or one person for a year.
This bulk freeze dried food reserve is (at the time of this post) for $3375 , with free shipping and a 120-day ‘no-risk’ guarantee.
“…will provide over 2000 calories per day for one person for one complete year, or a family of 4 for 3 months! It comes with a total of 168 #10 cans (large restaurant size cans) that comes packed in 28 cases for easy storage.”
True food preparedness means;
The new Mountain House 4 person 3 month “dinner Entree-pak” meets all of these conditions and at low price per meal. For those who have other food reserves and want to top them off with a super easy to prepare freeze dried food reserve, this is a good choice.
Priced at $1190 this package offers an affordable peace of mind for preparedness for your family that easy to use.
So you don’t need to be a dedicated trained survival enthusiast to be prepared. You just need to make the right prepardedness choice.
KT
The image on the left shows boxes of Mountain House #10 cans. The image on the right shows Mountain House pouches.
Pouches are popular with hikers, rock climbers and back-packers. Mountain house also sells them in cases as a food reserve.
They are a meal in pouch, just add water.
A Mountain House pouch can be used as a survival food reserve and are specifically packaged as such in the “just in case unit” 7 day food supply box pictured above.
This is comparable to MRE with the distinction they taste better, are easier to digest but require more preparation since you need to add water.
When you compare a pouch to a #10 can the main difference is that pouches are an individual meal.
Mountain house #10 cans are a bulk, 8-10 serving food reserve unit.
More important however, pouches will store for up to 7 years at 75° F (24° C), while #10 cans will last 25 years under the same conditions.
While it is more convenient to have the pouches and they are a good alternative to MRE if you can’t stand the taste or digest MREs, #10 cans are a much longer lasting and better investment for disaster preparedness.
The exception are those people who find the contents of the pouches comparable enough to fresh food, and will consume pouches periodically for regular meals and continuously re-stock them as a food reserve for disasters. Then the 7 year shelf life is not an issue.
Finally a food reserve of the same duration in #10 cans will store in a smaller space than the pouches due to the cans being a bulk (less packaging) food supply.
In summary;
Feb 08 2008
MRE or “Meals Ready to eat” are military style food rations.
There are two categories of MRE, military MRE and commecial MRE.
Military meals ready to eat are made for the US military and the armed forces of other countries.
They are sometimes sold on eBay but there is risk there as the military considers this illegal as they want to discourage theft of their property. There is also risk as the age and storage conditions the MRE experienced before you bought it will be unknown perhaps even to the seller. Military MRE cased of 12 sell for as little as $40 on eBay ($3.33 per meal) which is less than $72 ($6 per meal) average case price of commercial MRE. Besides risk you should also consider shipping costs which online retailers may charge less than $15 where eBay sellers sometimes charge a lot more for shipping and “handling”.
The main difference between military and commercial MRE (that is good commercial MRE from main brands such as Sopakco, MRE Star, aPack) is calories and sodium levels.
This 2 minute video shows you the difference in contents between Military and Commercial MRE;
They choose an inferior commercial MRE package I do not recognize but the information is useful. The best source online for MRE information is mreinfo.com. There is great forum where people who love to talk about MRE exchange information and stories about MRE.
Military MRE has high sodium content as they are intended for short term on the go use. Military MRE has 1250 to 1300 calories whereas until recently commercial MREs had less. Some commercial MREs have only 700 calories. MRE Star’s commercial MREs now have average of 1,100-1,300 calories.
Some reasons why they are a popular choice for survival food;
Military MRE is often sold against government regulations on eBay. Also if you go to a local military surplus shop it is likely they will have some. However there is some risk as the seller likely does not know the history of how the MRE was stored. Even if the military MRE has a date code in last year you still don’t know if it spent a couple months in the desert which use up most of it’s shelf life. Commercial MRE can likely be found at your local camping and outdoors shop.
Commercial MRE is available in 12 meal cases online. There is also bulk MRE pricing for pallet loads of MRE.\
Here are some online site that sell MRE;
You can best use MRE for emergency situations where you “are on the go” . Also if you do not want to waste time cooking or do not want the hassle of bring cooking equipment with you. MRE’s are the most convenient survival food choice.
MRE cost is about $6 per meal plus shipping for a case of 12. You can get discounts if you buy larger quantities.
There are often periods where MREs become unavailable due to being bought up by relief agencies dealing with a disaster. The price increases for awhile then goes back to about $6 meal or $72 per case.
Shipping is not included with most supplier if you order one case, but some will offer free shipping if the order is more than $100.
For a food reserve for periods longer than a week however, a “freeze dried food” reserve is better in terms of space and cost per meal. You will need water for freeze dried food which, although hydrates quickly, is nevertheless is not as “ready to eat”.
Feb 07 2008
From wildfires to hurricanes or any number of other natural phenomena, disaster can strike no matter where you live. In some cases, you’ll be required to leave your home with only moments to spare. In other situations, you might have to take refuge inside your home and survive for days or weeks without essential services, such as water, gas and electricity. Because of this, emergency supplies are becoming mainstream commodities for disaster preparedness. In fact, the American Red Cross recommends assembling an emergency supplies kit containing water, MRE (Meals Ready to Eat) (http://www.campingsurvival.com/mreskits.html) , a first aid kit, clothing and bedding. They also suggest storing a tent, sleeping bags, mess kits, fire extinguisher, can opener, rain gear, and a map of the area for locating shelters.
“Nobody can forget the images of the people in New Orleans walking across the bridges to get away from the flooding,” said Tom Sciacca, President of Camping Survival.com. “More recently, we’ve seen the catastrophic effect of tornadoes. In a situation where you have to get out of your home quickly, an emergency supplies kit will be your best friend.”
The American Red Cross recommendations include a minimum three-day supply of food that requires no refrigeration or cooking. This can be ready-to-eat canned meats, fruits, and vegetables. MRE (Meals Ready to Eat) – a staple of US military and rescue operations – is another popular way to provide food supplies. MRE is convenient for also, as it’s pre-cooked and ready to eat from the pouch.
“The modern MRE is light years beyond the old military rations,” Sciacca explained. “The MRE we carry at CampingSurvival.com are available in a variety of flavors, including Beef Ranchero Meat Loaf, Jamaican Pork Chop, Chicken with Cavatelli and Black Bean and Rice Burrito. The MRE are not just entrees, but full meals, including side dishes, dessert, crackers, spread and coffee. MRE will ensure you and your family are fed while others are stampeding supermarket shelves in the aftermath of a disaster.”
The Red Cross guidelines also call for a minimum of a three-day supply of water available for each person. The recommend you compile a first aid kit (http://www.campingsurvival.com/firstaidkits.html) with bandages, antiseptic wipes, small scissors and latex gloves. Keep the most crucial items you are likely to need during an evacuation in an easy-to carry container like a large, covered trash container, camping backpack, or duffle bag.
“In an emergency, you can never count on being able to find safe, drinkable water,” said Sciacca. “Bottled water is fine until you run out – will you be able to find more A water filter system (http://www.campingsurvival.com/watpur.html) is a long-term way to ensure safe water for your family.
With all the emergency supplies you could conceivably put into your emergency kit, you could spend an eternity shopping for the necessary items. Sciacca says that the easiest way is to purchase a high quality ”
Camping Survival.com Now Offers Over 20K Products Including MRE and Emergency Survival Kits
Feb 05 2008
With the economic situation becoming worse and worse every week, many are looking at survival food options. Survival food reserves, traditionally for major disaster preparedness, also serve as great way to prepare for family hardships resulting from an economic depression.
Most everyone agrees that we shouldn’t depend on government emergency support. But only 7% of have taken action to be prepared, according to the American Red Cross.
I have sorted through the pros and cons of four survival food options below with these needs in mind.
Two survival specific options, other than bulk canned foods and grains that you may not be as familiar with are MRE (meals ready to eat) and Freeze Dried Food. MRE is what the military uses for mobile activities, but it is available from the same manufacturers as civilian MRE. Freeze dried food is a more longer storing type of food reserve that is also used by the military and government agencies as well as campers and backpackers. Freeze dried food has 98% of water removed and in sealed cans it can store for 25 years.
Freeze dried food and MRE have long to very long storage life for emergency food reserves and most importantly require little or no preparation, water, and no cooking equipment.
Here are some commercial examples of MRE & freeze dried food;
See Examples of;
Family & One Year Food Reserves
MRE (meals ready to eat) Reserves
If you take just a few minutes to read below about the advantages and disadvantages of survival food options to make a wiser more well informed choice.
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The conventional wisdom offered by our governments and dedicated survivalists is to go to your local supermarket or big box store and buy canned food and dry grains and carefully store them. There are limitations to this survival food strategy that are highlighted below.
Buy the canned foods, dehydrated foods and grains, and bottled water as many government agencies recommend. Store in your house or apartment.
Advantages
Disadvantages
See Examples of Various Freeze Dried Food Reserves
Advantages
See Examples of Various MRE (meals ready to eat) Reserves
Advantages
Disadvantages
Same strategy as the first option, except you actively manage storing and ‘cycle’ inventory of goods. As you buy new food you use up the old canned food so that the food store is less than the expiry date of the canned food.
Advantages
Disadvantages
As you can see there are a lot of benefits to Freeze Dried Food over the other options making it the superior choice as a bulk survival food.
Besides survival food it is also necessary to have a good water storage plan to be prepared. See more information on water storage and filter products.
KT
Freeze Dried Food
Family One year Food Reserves
Group Food Reserve 50 people X 7 days or 10 people X 35 days
45 day – 6 weeks Freeze Dried Food
MRE
Bulk MRE (meals ready to eat)
Nitro-pak has Free Shipping to contiguous US on orders over $100 and a 120-Day ‘No-Risk’ Guarantee
TheReadyStore has Free Shipping to contiguous US on orders over $100
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Jan 30 2008
Myths about Disasters – Emergency Preparedness Survival Food …
By Josiah Friberg(Josiah Friberg)
We provide disaster nutrition expert advice and resources on food storage, long shelf-life food, organic whole food nutrition, food packs, healthy MREs, and disaster meals. We are committed to helping you get prepared for natural …
Emergency Disaster Preparedness… – http://emergencydisastersurvivalfood.blogspot.com/
Jan 28 2008
Preparing Mentally – Emergency Disaster Preparedness Survival Food …
By Josiah Friberg(Josiah Friberg)
We provide disaster nutrition expert advice and resources on food storage, long shelf-life food, organic whole food nutrition, food packs, healthy MREs, and disaster meals. We are committed to helping you get prepared for natural …
Emergency Disaster Preparedness… – http://emergencydisastersurvivalfood.blogspot.com/
Jan 23 2008
Worth Repeating
Survival and the Next Big Disaster: Rely on Yourself, Not the Government
Emergency kits and first aid supplies can keep your family alive when food, water, gas, electricity, or medical services are disrupted by disaster
(PRWEB) November 29, 2005 — Think you can rely on the government for your family’s survival after a disaster? Consider the Indian Ocean Tsunami, Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Wilma, and the Kashmir earthquake in the last year alone. While governments strive to help, downed gas, water, electric, phone, and medical services, not to mention roads, may delay help for days or weeks. And government services may be overwhelmed. Meanwhile, you and your family must fend for yourselves. Will you be ready?
“The country is really just not prepared for a major catastrophic event,” said Dr. Irwin E. Redlener, the director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, in a recent BusinessWeek cover story. “Whatever it is — the Big One in San Francisco, a terrorist attack — it doesn’t matter. The unfortunate truth is our ability to imagine and plan for catastrophic disasters is woefully inadequate.”
A Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) brochure puts the burden of preparedness on individuals. “It’s 2:00 a.m. and a flash flood forces you to evacuate your home — fast. There’s no time to gather food from the kitchen, fill bottles with water, grab a first-aid kit from the closet and snatch a flashlight and a portable radio from the bedroom. You need to have these items packed and ready in one place before disaster hits.”
While most disasters can’t be avoided, you can prepare for them. According to FEMA, there are six essentials you should stock in your home: food, water, first aid supplies, emergency supplies, tools, special items, clothing and bedding.” FEMA suggests at least a three-day supply of food and water, adding that food requiring no refrigeration, preparation, or cooking is best.
MRE, or “Meals Ready to Eat” — a staple of US military and rescue operations for decades — are a popular way to provide survival food supplies. “Because the MRE are pre-cooked, they’re ready to eat right from the pouch,” says Thomas Sciacca, a former marine, outdoorsman, and President of CampingSurvival.com. “Unlike freeze dried alternatives, the MRE are designed to retain moisture, gravy, and sauces with maximum nutrition, variety, and a five to ten year shelf life.”
Since evacuation or travel may be necessary, it’s also wise to include emergency kits or survival supplies in each car, as well as the office, school, or wherever significant time is spent, suggests Sciacca. The best kits are lightweight, avoid duplication, and suited to the users and environment used in.
While emergency kits and survival supplies can be assembled one item at a time, Sciacca understands that few people set aside the time to do an adequate job of it. “Important items get left out, items get scattered or get old and need to be replaced,” he explains.
Sciacca designed CampingSurvival.com as a one stop shop for survival supplies and emergency supplies — from pocket sized kits to The SuperArk, from family first aid supplies to organization-sized trauma kits, from rain ponchos to solar powered wind up radio. For free Disaster Analysis and promotional pricing, visit the CampingSurvival website at www.campingsurvival.com.
For More Information Contact:
Tom Sciacca
Phone: (800) 537-1339 ext. 222
Fax: 315-592-4796
28 W First St South
Fulton, NY 13069
sales@campingsurvival.com
www.campingsurvival.com
Jan 23 2008
Disaster Survival Solutions Announces One-Stop Earthquake Relief Kits So Bay Area Families Can Be Ready and Safe For the Next Big One — With Just One Click
The QR Center is a customized, comprehensive personal Earthquake Relief Center. Minutes after a natural disaster occurs, an entire family can have a secure, warm, lit shelter with a week of food and water.
San Fransisco (Vocus/PRWEB ) January 22, 2008 — As California recovers from the year’s first big storms, residents might be readying for the next big weather event. One thing they should be more concerned about is whether they are properly prepared today for the next big earthquake, which could happen tomorrow — even during a major storm. Disaster Survival Solutions, a company located just miles from the epicenter of the 1906 earthquake, has taken all the guesswork out of earthquake preparedness and is now delivering and installing the QR Center for Bay Area residents.
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he Quake Relief Center is a complete earthquake kit, housed in a durable weatherproof deck box, and designed to be located directly outside the home. It contains everything needed to be self-sufficient after a big quake, along with a personalized disaster action plan. Also available is a yearly maintenance service that includes an annual inspection, refresh of all perishable items in the kit, and an update of the personal disaster action plan. With QR Center, just minutes after a natural disaster occurs, Bay Area residents can be sure they will have a secure, warm, sheltered environment with lighting, hygiene essentials, and a week’s supply of food and water. The QR Center offers one-stop, comprehensive disaster relief not available elsewhere.
“When the next big earthquake hits, our customers will be heading out the back door to open their QR Center, assured that everything they will need for at least seven days’ survival is ready and waiting. Meanwhile, those without the resources included in a QR Center will be heading out their front door in search of shelter, supplies, water and food,” says Chris McCloy, founder of Disaster Survival Solutions. “The QR Center is available for immediate delivery and provides complete peace of mind. It provides assurance that a family of up to seven people, plus pets, will have the food, water, shelter, sanitation and hygiene essentials, communication tools, and first-aid supplies they need to be self-sufficient until other resources become available.”
The QR Center is sold in various sizes from 2-person through 7-person. All kits include everything needed to survive outside the home for up to a week as well as the Quake Relief Plan — comprehensive binders that contain step-by-step instructions for before, during and after an earthquake. One binder is stored inside the box, and a second binder is kept inside the home. Copies of vital emergency contact information are printed on small cards that can be stored in wallets, purses, and children’s backpacks. Survival kits for cats and dogs are also available.
After a significant earthquake, McCloy says that many houses will still be standing and possibly even structurally sound. “But they will resemble a shoe box filled with broken glass, debris, broken plaster and slippery liquids. And that box will be shaken again with each aftershock, causing even more damage. You won’t want to be living inside that house for hours, let alone a week — and it will be days to a week before vital services such as water, electricity, and gas service are restored.”
About Disaster Survival Solutions
Disaster Survival Solutions provides the resources families need to sustain themselves for a week or more during a major disaster. The company delivers, installs, and maintains customized QR Centers supplied with the highest-quality provisions. Company experts also provide customers quarterly enewsletters full of timely information about how to protect their families during a catastrophic event. Disaster Survival Solutions is committed to its customers’ safety and wellbeing, and is 100% focused on ensuring its customers and their families get prepared and stay prepared in earthquake country. On the web at www.qrcenter.com.
