When the grid and cell networks fail, information becomes as valuable as water. Knowing what is happening — where a fire is spreading, whether help is coming, how your family is doing — shapes every decision you make. A good comms plan is layered: the ability to listen, to talk locally, and to reach out long-distance.
Layer 1: Be able to listen
The foundation of any comms plan is a receive-only radio, because listening needs no license and no setup. A hand-crank Midland ER310 Emergency Crank Radio pulls in NOAA weather alerts and AM/FM with its own power, and a Kaito Voyager Shortwave Radio adds shortwave to hear broadcasts from far beyond your region. Everyone should own one.
Layer 2: Talk locally
For coordinating with family or a group over short distances, licensed GMRS radios like the Midland GXT GMRS Radios are simple and effective — no technical background required. See the full emergency radio guide for choosing.
Layer 3: Reach far with HAM
When infrastructure is down, amateur (HAM) radio is the most capable long-range option there is. It takes a license and a little learning, but nothing else matches its reach and its community of operators. A cheap Baofeng UV-5R HAM Handheld is the classic way to start — details in the HAM for beginners guide.
Layer 4: The satellite fallback
Satellite devices work where nothing terrestrial does. A Garmin inReach Mini Satellite Messenger gives you two-way texting and SOS from literally anywhere, a critical worst-case channel to the outside world. Covered in the satellite guide.
Protect your radios
Radios are electronics, and an EMP or solar storm can fry them. Keep a spare handheld and your critical comms gear in a Faraday bag so a single event cannot silence you completely.