Living in Florida is always an adventure. Sometimes I wish we could skip the adventure, like the summer of 2003 when three hurricanes rolled over my home boom boom boom, but I guess there is always a price to pay when you enjoy mild winters, the beach, and lots of sun.
Any wise Floridian knows that disaster preparedness is imperative. Hurricanes, tornadoes, localized flooding, pretty much anything short of a snow storm and Godzilla can happen here. Heck, today the city trimmed trees around the power lines and knocked out both my electric and phone service. I only had 1 bar of power on my cellphone for a few hours there and started to feel a bit panicky until I remembered a certain special something tucked away- a Sequoia Vehicle Survival kit, which the Parent Bloggers Network had sent my way.
Granted a few hours without power does not necessitate breaking open the MREs or water packs included in the kit but the kit also includes a crank radio/light and cell phone charger. I felt a lot more relaxed knowing that I had a way to charge up my phone and keep connected even if the power stayed out.
Looking through the kit which includes:
* 32 oz water
* Meals ready to eat (MRE) for 2 people for 1 day
* 151 piece first aid kit from 3M
* Two thermal emergency blankets
* Two rain ponchos
* Two 6-hour hand warmers
* Two 12-hour light sticks
* Windproof and waterproof matches
* Crank radio/light and cell phone charger*
* Gerber multi-function hardware tool
* Leather work gloves
* Duct tape
* Rope
* Cleansing wipes
* Toilet paper
* Notebook
* Pen
* Playing cards
I realized that many of the included items are things we have needed in the wake of disaster. I was impressed with what they thought to include. Leather gloves is something often overlooked but after any sort of wind disaster you need them to safely move debris. I have always kept glow sticks in my car, not for an impromptu rave but rather for night time car break downs. At my husbands insistence Ive been driving around with a multi tool jammed in my glove box eating up valuable tampon space. Now it's included in my Sequoia kit.
My only complaint is that it's packed in there pretty tightly so there really isn't room for anything extra . I'd love to be able to add some extra food, a diaper or two and maybe some kid friendly stuff but still have it all in one place.
The Sequoia Survival Vehicle kit is thorough, well assembled, and useful. The price is less then you would spend assembling a comparable kit (trust me, I've priced it) and I would not hesitate to purchase one of their large survival kits based on the quality of the vehicle kit. I may even order one for next hurricane season.
