It probably only sounds ridiculous to us car-centric Yanks. It's quite common for seniors--many very old--to ride bicycles in Japan as their main form of transportation. Maybe not so much in the crowded urban areas (heck, bicycles have all but disappeared from the streets of big cities in China now, too) but certainly in more rural areas like where the tsunami hit.

Actually, having a bicycle handy may make a lot of sense for a quick get away to higher ground depending on one's situation. Takes up relatively little space, don't have to worry about gasoline going bad in storage, roads and bridges may be jammed with traffic, much faster than being on foot, etc.