My "hurricane" bike has a four speed Nexus hub. It works very well here in Houston, where hills are both rare and small. Trek equipped my bike with a smaller than typical chainring, which makes all four gears very useful.

A "storm" bike needs more than a Nexus hub. I've ridden mine through a foot of water, and over potholes filled with water, mud, and debris. So, wide, wrap-around fenders, wide rims, and big beefy tires are also key features. The old-fashioned coaster brake works well when the rims are wet, and continue to work even when the water was almost up to the hub.

Although, with racks, bags, locks, front and rear lighting, my Trek weighs about forty pounds, my total time on a typical twenty mile ride are not that different than my times on a light weight road bike. Of course, I might get different results if I lived in San Francisco or somewhere that has significant hills.