Dockside Chat - What value is ice?????

At the risk of sounding like a true dumba$$ and admitting to having never been through a hurricane let me ask this, what value does ice have when you have nothing to preserve with it?????? Water can be consumed at almost any temp and the MREs being distributed don’t need to be refrigerated, do they? so I guess I don’t get it…… anyone want to educate me??????

Food is getting into someplaces and ice with a cooler makes a mini fridge....like on your boat.

Surely they aren’t being sent perishable foods yet??????

It all depends on where you are located .... some folks are having real meals prepared (leftovers), others may use the cooler for a cold drink of water, soft drinks, milk, fruits, beer, certain medicines, etc. I am not an expert but I think the ice would be very much appreciated for a whole range of reasons.

Cold liquids are abosrbed more quickly by the body. Something cold is also more refreshing to drink. Small pleasures can lift*moral.

Ice is one of those luxuries that make people happy.. Go figure..

And FYI - the MRE's need nothing. They can be stored in heat, cold, water - no matter. As long as the seal is there, no worries. I like the ones that have the nifty heater pack. Nothing like some tuna and noodles heated up with some tabasco! :thumbsup:

In addition to all of the reasons already noted, some of those folks may be Type 1 diabetics and need to keep insulin refrigerated

Let me see now, its 95 degrees outside with 90% humidity. Now I can have a drink of room temp (95 degrees) water or ice water. Which do I prefer?

Either I didnt ask the question correctly or you guys are missing the point here. What Im asking is: if youre in a situation where there is only bottled water and military MREs what darned good is ice?????????? Number 1, you dont have a frigging cooler and number 2 you dont have a home in which to keep the cooler that you dont have.
WHY are they sending ice to people that dont have any means or methods of keeping it or using it other than to have ice water for an hour or so????????????? Maybe MY priorities are screwed up here.. 1. Water 2. food 3. shelter....... then all the other goodies

All of your assumptions are incorrect....so change those and you will understand the desire for ice.

Do you really think finding a cooler is difficult in that part of the country since they float?

Why do you believe 1 million people are only eating MREs?

A cooler doesn't need a house to work.

If the ice was worthless to the people why are the people taking it and lugging it with them?

Keeping medicine and milk cold is not a goodie.

What good is looted beer if you can"t ice it down, so I'm brought up in a social dependant society, does that mean I'm not good enough to drink cold beer like you? That remark almost sounds racist.

nanjemoycat - 9/8/2005 7:58 PM
That remark almost sounds like I am racist.

:thumbsup:

Last year ice in Florida was like gold, it kept the food that you had in your fridge good for a few more days, I have one of those large white coolers for my boat, it will keep ice for 3 days in 90 degree heat. I went 10 days without power last summer and didn't have to eat MRE'S. Before the storms last year our county emergency managers told us to prepare to be without outside support for 3-4 days, it was a few days after the storm before the grocery stores re opened, and then they only had canned food. I prepared like I was going on a long boat trip to the Bahamas, I wasn't eating steak every night but I was self sufficent, I kept my frozen food frozen as long as I could and ate it as it thawed, the ice gave me a few more days.

My home wasn't destroyed in the latest hurricane, but I was without electricity for three day. Ice kept the contents of my fridge and freezer cold.

Then I got a genny and rejoined the modern world.

I have spent the last two day hauling water into Slidell La. In both solid and liquid form, take it from me their is a huge need for ice.

I agree with Vero and 29.

For this storm, ice was the difference between losing everything in my freezer, and being able to chill it for a few days while I tried to cook it off.

Kamper - 9/8/2005 1:20 PM



Cold liquids are abosrbed more quickly by the body. Something cold is also more refreshing to drink. Small pleasures can lift*moral.




Not exactly true. Liquids have to be a certain temperature before the stomach can go to work on them. Haven't you ever drank a cool bottle of water real fast only to hear gurgle in your stomach. It needs to be in temperature range before it will process. Sure feels better on the way down when its cool, thats for sure!

While we waited to catch up to the world after Ivan, I had two of the 5 gal. water coolers(igloo) that I had filled with water and ice prior to the storm. When ever we were able to get ice I'd drop a bag in each cooler to replenish the water that we used from them to drink.
When we had extra ice it went into a cooler that had a couple of cold beers in it :)
A family that is careful, can use the ice to keep what perishables they have in good shape for a week or so, or until they use them up. Keeping the coolers covered with a quilt, rug etc. will increase the life of the ice.

There could be a bit of psychcology involved also, but mostly a cold drink of water is a blessed relief when your trying to put your life back together.

katkt - 9/9/2005 8:08 PM

While we waited to catch up to the world after Ivan, I had two of the 5 gal. water coolers(igloo) that I had filled with water and ice prior to the storm. When ever we were able to get ice I'd drop a bag in each cooler to replenish the water that we used from them to drink.
When we had extra ice it went into a cooler that had a couple of cold beers in it :)
A family that is careful, can use the ice to keep what perishables they have in good shape for a week or so, or until they use them up. Keeping the coolers covered with a quilt, rug etc. will increase the life of the ice.

There could be a bit of psychcology involved also, but mostly a cold drink of water is a blessed relief when your trying to put your life back together.


I imagine you were sucking on a ice cube as you wrote this! ;)

We've been framing a two story for the past three weeks(just two of us), sucking on ice cubes is about all I'm good for when I get home. ;)

Bummer....that REALLY sucks (ice).

Hey - just a thought....wouldn't it be cool if you knew some Amish folk? They could help ya get that frame up on the 2-story in about a DAY! Then all you'd need is some tea to go with that ice ~

YOU, of course, could have liquor with yours ~ :grin:

:Q

farmerjane - 9/10/2005 5:41 AM

Bummer....that REALLY sucks (ice).

Hey - just a thought....wouldn't it be cool if you knew some Amish folk? They could help ya get that frame up on the 2-story in about a DAY! Then all you'd need is some tea to go with that ice ~

YOU, of course, could have liquor with yours ~ :grin:

:Q

I know some Menonites, but I don't know any Amish

If I hired somebody to do the work, what would I do? Besides I wouldn't sleep nearly as well at night :)

I took it for granted that you knew the old joke about the two women who where talking over coffee one morning. One of the women had been out playing until the wee hours the night before, and was feeling a bit under the weather. The woman with the hang over turned to her friend and said " I'm getting to old for this, I can't hold my liquor like I use to" her friend turned to her, and said "I always hold mine by the ears, it works great". :trout: