FEMA no longer provides ice in emergency situations

Megan Chuchmach of ABC.com reports that new FEMA rules stipulate that states must provide their own ice in emergency situations. FEMA changed its policy is due the high cost of storing ice and its high perishability. Many relief aid workers and state officials did not know about the change, causing problems in areas affected by Hurricane Ike. Ice is important in the aftermath of disaster, used to regulate temperatures for medicine, food for other medical uses. With no government aid, Houston Mayor Bill White appealed to Sam's Club, which willingly provided the ice.