FREEZING OUT DISASTERS

In light of Hurricane Katrina, I thought I would write in and let you in on a little tip we use in southern Louisiana. When big storms hit, we often lose electricity, so the stuff in our deep freezes doesn't last as long. But we fill all the space in the freezer with 2-liter bottles and zip-lock freezer bags full of water. Fill the bottles almost full, leaving a little room for expansion. And zip-lock freezer bags filled with water fit in small and oddly shaped areas. Remember, when everything is frozen solid, a full freezer stays cold much longer than one that's half-filled. And when thawed, these containers offer an additional supply of clean drinking water.