After just about every major natural disaster, one fairly consistent reality are vehicles that are damaged beyond mobility or abandoned because of the severity of the aftermath.

But even if abandoned, vehicles can provide a wealth of survival tools, materials and supplies that you can use if you are stuck in the aftermath.

The first key is to make sure they truly are abandoned – you do not want to start re-purposing a vehicle only to have an irate owner confront you.

Once you have established that, however, there is a wealth of stuff you can use for survival purposes located in virtually any vehicle.

These include mirrors, hoses and the contents most vehicle owners or riders invariably leave as detritus under seats and in center consoles and glove compartments.

To see a list of survival materials, supplies and parts you can salvage from an abandoned vehicle, check out the next page.

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