Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Just In Case: State of Alaska to Stockpile Mass Amounts of Food and Supplies in Giant Warehouses

With its remote location and dependence on the uninterrupted flow of supplies from the lower 48 states, the Governor of Alaska has made disaster readiness a hallmark of his administration.

Gov. Sean Parnell worries a major earthquake or volcanic eruption could leave the state’s 720,000 residents stranded and cut off from food and supply lines. His answer: Build giant warehouses full of emergency food and supplies, just in case.

For some in the lower 48, it may seem like an extreme step. But Parnell says this is just Alaska.

“We have a different motivation to do this, because help is a long ways away,” said John Madden, Alaska’s emergency management director.

The state plans two food stockpiles in or near Fairbanks and Anchorage, two cities that also have military bases. Construction on the two storage facilities will begin this fall, and the first food deliveries are targeted for December. The goal is to have enough food to feed 40,000 people for up to a week, including three days of ready-to-eat meals and four days of bulk food that can be prepared and cooked for large groups. To put that number into perspective, Alaska’s largest city, Anchorage, has about 295,000 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and Juneau, its third largest, about 31,000.

It’s not unusual for states that routinely experience hurricanes or other large-scale disasters to have supplies like water, ready-to-eat meals, cots and blankets. But Alaska is interested in stocking food with at least a five-year shelf life that meets the nutrition, health and cultural requirements of the state’s unique demographics. Read more.....

2 comments:

  1. The key part of this story is the mention of the nearby bases. It will be the Army that takes control of these food stocks any time they want. They will decide who get the food stocks and who does not. In other words the Governor is wasting his time. As long as the authorities can keep the Army fed they will be in charge

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