Take a moment to consider a few hypothetical survival scenarios:
Scenario 1: It’s 6:10 a.m. The city you live in, which happens to be below sea level, is assailed by torrential rain and sustained winds of up to 140 mph. Sea surge of nearly 30 feet quickly overwhelms the levies, and entire neighborhoods are swallowed by water. Whether you moved to safety beforehand or decided to stay, it’ll take at least two more weeks before utilities are fully restored.
Scenario 2: It’s 1:25 a.m. Awoken by the sudden absence of the electric hum that pervades everyday life, you look around the darkness confused. Temperatures have dropped over 40 degrees below normal for this time of year, and an overtaxed energy grid has forced rolling brownouts. Unpredictable winter weather is on the rise and getting worse. On top of the life-threatening risk of cold exposure, it’ll be another nine days before all roads are fully passable by cars.
Scenario 3: It’s 4:17 a.m. Without warning, normal everyday life is violently upended as a brutal earthquake shatters streets and crumbles buildings in your city, leaving tens of thousands seriously wounded (or worse) in a matter of minutes. Maybe you were fortunate enough to be in a building constructed to code, or maybe you were far enough away from the epicenter to be spared the worst. Either way, it’s going to be a long time before life resembles what it once did.
All of the scenarios above have something in common, other than the fact each occurred uncomfortably early in the morning. When disasters strike, the things we most commonly rely on disappear, sometimes indefinitely. A reliable method of transportation is a
