Yes, besides being great transportation in a lot of everyday situations bikes have the potential to come in handy after a lot of different disasters; check out the following links for examples: http://www.theatlanticcities.com/neighborhoods/2012/11/power-bicycles-disaster-recovery/3834/; http://bikeportland.org/2013/07/13/disaster-relief-trials-bring-30-miles-of-urban-apocalyptica-back-to-portland-90373; http://www.victoria.ca/EN/main/departmen...nse-rally.html. I agree about skinny tires not being the best option for that application--think mixed-terrain riding, with wider tires that are flat-resistant. The Continental tires Russ linked to above seem ideal. In fact, I just put a set on a similar-type bike to the one he describes and am looking forward to testing them out when the ice and snow melt around here. Other considerations include how to carry things on the bike; a rear rack is best for this and you can use panniers (which can be made very inexpensively from square plastic buckets with lids and some simple hardware, and these are waterproof to boot), a milk crate or just bungee a backpack etc. on to the rack. You may also be able to add a front rack depending on the bike, and this will add capacity. Handlebar type is a personal preference, but flat bars (mountain bike type) can get uncomfortable after a certain amount of time so if your bike has these you might want to put on bar ends or switch to trekking (butterfly) bars which are compatible with mountain bike brake levers and shifters. Fenders will help keep you drier if you're riding in rain and puddles. A bike set up with the above will be great for commuting and errands, or even touring/camping, with the bonus of being potentially useful after a disaster.