Growing up on an island meant gorgeous beaches, drinking dark rum at 18, driving on the “wrong” side of the road, and feeling like the luckiest girl on earth. It also meant hurricane season.
When I was 10 years old, St. Thomas was devastated by Hurricane Marilyn, a level 5 storm. Almost 80% of the homes and businesses on my island were damaged or destroyed. My family was incredibly lucky but 10,00 other people were left homeless and many homes had blue FEMA tarps for roofs for months afterward. We had several friends who lost everything they owned in the storm. The experience obviously had a large impact on my childhood and is something I would like to blog about in more detail in the future.
Even though our house was intact, we were without power for more than 5 months after Marilyn. We also went more than a year without cable (no big deal) and more than 7 months without phone service (this felt like a very big deal to me because this was the year my friends and I started calling boys!).
We had a generator but gas was expensive so we still took bucket showers and opened the fridge as little as possible. Family in the states, along with their very kind friends, took to sending our family boxes of nonperishable food. Their generosity was extraordinary but we couldn’t help but smile at some of the items they sent. Like tiny juice boxes that made us cry with laughter as we pictured my 6-foot-3 cousin trying to drink one after football practice. Or multiple boxes of microwave dinners. One of the main things I’ve taken away from my childhood experiences with hurricanes is the importance of being prepared.
Since emergency preparedness is near and dear to my heart, when eFoods Direct asked me review some of their products I jumped at the opportunity.
eFoods Direct is a company that sells foods that are storable for up to 25 years. The foods are packed fresh and date stamped and can all be prepared by mixing the packets with boiling water. They have a huge menu of options, many of which are vegetarian. They sell packs that range from 1 week’s worth of food to enough food for a whole family for the year. They are currently offering a special discount in memoriam of the disaster in Japan last summer.
Adam and I tried the Tortilla Soup,
and the Cheesy Chicken Rice Casserole.
We are saving the potato soup for winter. They weren’t the best meals we’ve ever eaten but they were far from the worst. The serving sizes were appropriate and we were impressed with the variety of vegetables in both dishes. The chicken had great texture, it was better than the chicken in several soups I’ve had that were not dehydrated.
Note – this positive review comes of my own volition. I was not paid for my thoughts (though I did sample the meals free of charge); I just really think it’s important that people consider emergency preparedness.
Have you ever experienced a natural disaster?
Eating Chalk 