Wow... Looks Like People Are NOT Messing Around With Hurricane Sandy
John Marino of Merrick, N.Y., grabs the few remaining water bottles at the Waldbaums grocery. (Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
Hurricane Sandy as seen from space. (NBC News)
Large waves generated by Hurricane Sandy crash into Jeanette's Pier in Nags Head, N.C. (Gerry Broome / AP)
Stay safe everyone!
= new reply since forum marked as read
I had a bunch of empty water bottles I often got at work, and filled them all before Hurricane Ike hit. Then I froze every one of them in anticipation of losing power for weeks. Luckily for our little apartment complex, that didn't happen, but I still had ice-water bottles to share 
Recently, I bought a type of re-usable plastic bottle that is perfect for both storing (it flattens out) and for freezing. It actually works better than those re-usable ice-packs for my lunch bag.
It would be nice to be able to purchase dozens of those bottles at a reduced price, or larger ones of the gallon and up sizes.
Here's another site I use sometimes when looking for eco-friendly products: ecomall
I like your idea for re-using the milk cartons, too. Seems like my parents did that growing up, though my mother would put soup in some of them. You could freeze an emergency ration of Vichyssoise in one of those
jeez, I've been busy perusing that other site you've recommended and now another one! I like them both!
Besides milk cartons, I also keep those big boxes that malted milk balls come in but not for use in the freezer, just cupboard storage of practically anything. Another useful item is a clean empty ice cream container...we were invited to a camp-out, cook-out last month and another guest who didn't know us very well asked why there was ice cream sitting out on the picnic table. I told her to open them up and see...homemade cookies, breakfast biscuits, and mini-loaves of veggie breads. I don't even eat ice cream, but somebody in this house eats way too much of it, so to make him suffer I have found it almost impossible to stick an ice cream box into the recycle bin. They are excellent for freezing soups! 
My parents also reuse ice cream cartons, or those for whipped cream, anything made of plastic in a tub format. Most times I've visited, they've sent me home with food in one of those tubs. I've got plenty of re-usable containers now (including some that are collapsible) so I make it a habit to take those with me now.
When I make biscotti for gifts every year, I put the different kinds in ziplock bags. I have no idea if the rest of the family reuses those or not, but I do with my own, at least until they start leaking. They can go through quite a number of uses before they start to break down.
The only thing similar to milk cartons I can think of are those cartons for nut and soy milks, as well as other juice boxes. Only those that have a resealable lid would work, as they're all made of that aseptic packaging. Some of the larger coconut water boxes also have the screw-on top like most milk cartons these days. I don't know how many of these are BPA-free, but I haven't read anything about aseptic packaging in a while, either.
Maybe reposting it in another forum or group where it would be read by more. I'm afraid GD at this time wouldn't support it much, and it would sink in minutes 
I can also see it in the Frugal/Efficient living group.
cross posting is often a good idea for such valuable information
I'd forgotten about the Environment/Energy group. I'll write up something in a bit here and post it to both places
Whether I get any replies or not doesn't matter. People will at least see the links and click. Environment & energy has a pinned thread for useful sites, but Frugal and Energy Efficient Living doesn't. We may have to suggest it as it's nice having one easily-found thread of sites and tips
that you can reseal would be good for storing water. 2-liter drink bottles come to mind, too
I used to have all these one-gallon collapsible containers that had been for photo-chemicals, though I'd never use them for drinking water. They would be good for toilet use and the like.
that came with this house is that it can hold toilet flushing water.
(and baby chicks in the spring.. )
Country folks tend to "collect" stuff that "might come in handy" and know to always keep a week's worth of edibles around the house. One good hurricane is a mighty lesson, ain't it?
but I was raised that way, so if someone visiting were to take a peek into my cupboards, they might suppose that I could be afflicted with that hoarding syndrome. I have those big restaurant jars full of beans, flour, pasta, dry staples or anything that can be bought in bulk...many many of them.
When I crossed the country with my baby, to relocate to the Pacific NorthWest more than thirty yrs ago, I had 24 of those big jars filling every available space, in my car trunk and neatly arranged on the floor, bolstered with the blankets and quilts that I had also packed to keep them from breaking...didn't haul food in them, but stuffed each with important little girl items and any other stuff that was necessary in my move. Glass suitcases, ha! That jar collection has grown significantly over the years (I've only broken one in all of that time)...but every new one I get will shortly find itself quite full with something else that we need to stock up on.
And I've had several claw footed tubs in my time but no more, since I've decided that if I, myself, cannot pick something up to move it, then I shouldn't hang on to it. But yes, I have had a big ole tub full of peeps before, too.
They buy a case of water and it's easy peasy. Folks don't want to have to prepare by storing water in random containers... they're too busy buying water.
I'm going to do it now. Thanks.
East Prepares for Monster Storm
http://www.weather.com/news/weather-hurricanes/hurricane-sandy-winter-storm-20121025
Sandy likely to be a multi-billion dollar disaster for the U.S.
http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=2277
