Tuesday evening, August 28, 2007, hundreds of bags of ice were piled up outside an Orange Mound warehouse....melting.

The ice is owned by FEMA, but according to Congressman Steve Cohen, the feds are giving it away for free. FEMA bought and stored the ice for the 2005 hurricane season.

Tuesday evening Congressman Cohen's office sent out a release saying you need to contact Memphis Americold to make arrangements to pick up pallets of the ice, but Eyewitness News Everywhere found it melting outside the warehouse at Spottswood and East Parkway.

Here is the statement from Congressman Cohen:

"Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) has learned that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is releasing ice stored in its Memphis Americold warehouse free of charge to the public for non-consumption purposes.

Organizations may request ice by contacting Tracy Matthews, Americold's Vice President of Corporate Accounts, by calling her at 770-570-4326 or emailing her at tmatthews@amclog.com. Americold is releasing the ice only in pallet quantities. Organizations interested in obtaining ice will be required to sign a release outlining the terms and conditions of the donation, including an acknowledgement that the ice is not considered safe for consumption. Additionally, the organizations will be responsible for removing the ice from the Americold facility.

'While I wish that FEMA had released the ice earlier during one of the hottest summers on record, I am glad Memphians will have an opportunity, albeit limited, to use the ice,' said Congressman Cohen. 'I'm pleased that the outcry about this instance of governmental waste has produced results, but I am still concerned that this occurred at all.'

Ms. Matthews said that there are approximately 1,800 pallets of ice located in the Americold warehouse at 1100 E. Parkway.

FEMA retained and stored ice remaining from the 2005 hurricane season in preparation for the 2006 season in various sites around the country. When the 2006 hurricane activity did not materialize, the ice was not used and remained in storage. The industry standard assumes a shelf life of up to one year. The overwhelming interest from organizations requesting the ice prompted FEMA to work with Americold to allow donations of the stored ice for non-consumption purposes."