National Guard hands out MRE's, water

EAST HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) -- Getting supplies to folks who need it the most: the National Guard is helping bring food and water all across the state to those affected by the storm.

Hundreds of thousands of pounds of food and water landed in Connecticut at the Rentschler Field. It's carted from truck to truck, pallet to pallet, going out into the community as fast as it arrives in Connecticut.

"The latest figures, 115,000 meals and 140,000 bottles of water total, and that was as of 12 o'clock today, so that number has gone up," said Lt. Col. Tom Dennis.

Inside the command tent all of the water and food is counted and distributed to the 71 towns that have put in requests. The distribution center has only been open two days and already more towns are asking to be put on the list.

"We see all of the MRE's and water going out and we see the mission," said Chief Lori Michaud, CT National Guard. "We are not on the front lines, but we can see from what we are pushing out that the state is in need."

There are a lot of steps in getting the food into the hands of the people.

"We have brought food 2,500 people, about 30,000 pounds of food," said Rick Reichert. "We have MRE's, apples, water, yogurt."

CT Food Bank has added to the Guard's shipment, and in the end volunteers go door-to-door handing out the food.

"I'm on oxygen and I can't use my oxygen because there is no electricity," said Carolyn Mobsby, of Bridgeport.

"But is it nice to have food brought in," asked News 8's Bob Wilson.

"Are you kidding? I hate to cook to begin with," she replied laughing.