The one saving grace for those still sitting in the dark thanks to Friday's storms is ice.

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But, finding grocery stores with stocked freezers is a problem in itself.

Harris Teeter handed out free bags of ice at several locations throughout northern Virginia and Maryland. The store off Duke Street in Alexandria drew crowds of people itching for some cool relief.

Alexandria resident Phyllis Lewis said, "Oh, it's great to see that, because everybody in town is looking for ice."

Gregory Biamby, who doesn't have power at his Alexandria home, added, "Thank goodness. Thank God I got the ice. At least I can keep some of my drinks and my food cold."

The same excitement was found at a Safeway in Kingstowne not long after a new shipment of ice arrived.

"It says buy three or more so I guess that's what I'll do I'll be three," said resident Susan Geisler. "I just finished cleaning out my refrigerator. I just threw everything out, but the stuff we already had in a cooler and now this is replacement ice now."

For storm victims, ice is just about as good as gold.

Cheryl Mercer of Ft. Washington is going on 70 plus hours of yearning for electricity.

"...I'm telling you it's really been something these past few days. You know, you really don't really miss things until they're really gone. They're gone. This is great. This is great," Mercer said.

Despite having her patience tested, she says living without power is strengthening her community.

"People are finding ways to say, 'Are you okay?' We're all in this together," she explained.

Sunday, the Harris Teeter location in Alexandria handed out more than 3,200 bags of ice in two hours, with lines stretching deep into the parking lot.

Wegmans says all of its locations are now stocked with ice and bottled water. As for Giant, 130 trailers hit the road Monday to deliver ice to their stores.