PHILADELPHIA –
Following historic floods there during the last week, meals and water have arrived at Fort Jackson, South Carolina thanks in part to Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support’s Subsistence supply chain.
Subsistence employees worked with the regional prime vendor to send Meals, Ready-to-Eat, bottled water and meal kits beginning Oct. 3.
The Fort Jackson area received 17.71 inches of rain Oct. 2-5, according to the Richland County Weather Information Network Data System.
“Thanks to the DLA team’s quick response and active participation, the Army was able to offer material solutions and immediately support Fort Jackson with three days of MREs and bottled water so they could continue their training mission and concurrently assist the community around Fort Jackson,” said Lt. Col. John Nolan, chief of logistics current operations for the Army. More than 22,000 cases of MREs were distributed by DLA Distribution centers in Norfolk, Virginia and Albany, Georgia by Oct. 5
The prime vendor, US Foods, delivered 2,166 cases of meal kits and 7,128 cases of water to Fort Jackson by Oct. 7. More than 300,000 meals had been delivered through Oct. 7. Subsistence has received requirements for 12,000 more cases of MREs, said Mary Ellen Dobbins, chief of the Subsistence prime vendor program in the continental U.S.
Deliveries will continue at least through the weekend, Dobbins said.
Fort Jackson supports about 24,000 personnel daily but was closed most of the week with only key and essential personnel reporting for duty.
According to the Fort Jackson commanding general’s report, “Fort Jackson has the bottled water and MREs necessary to sustain operations for the next three days, at least, and expects to be able to maintain three days of supply of MREs and water for at least the next week.”