What are the logistics of getting all of this equipment to a storage facility hours away and then actually getting it back when needed, while being hours away, on top of the storage costs?

It’s a sunk cost and in all likelihood auctioning it off was the most efficient way to get rid of equipment they had no use for and no realistic and cost effective way to store. It’s unfortunate that the money was wasted but if the virus had been deadlier than it was in reality it all would’ve been needed. It made sense with the information we had at the time