FEMA spent $274,000 to store relief ice in Portland

PORTLAND, Maine --The Federal Emergency Management Agency spent nearly $274,000 to store thousands of bags of ice in Portland that were initially bought for hurricane relief efforts more than 1,500 miles away.

In a letter to U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, a FEMA official said the agency stored 250 truckloads of ice at Americold storage facility in Portland after it was determined that the agency's supply of ice exceeded the demand following Hurricane Katrina.

The agency said it was able to later use the ice for Hurricanes Ophelia and Rita, which came ashore after Katrina made landfall in late August.

By the time the ice was totally removed from the Americold facility in late October, FEMA had spent $273,942 for storage fees, according to the letter from Michael Lowder, deputy director of FEMA's response division.

AP