In an emergency situation it is important to know how to use your radio. If you don't your already gone. One of my favorites is the
The Baofeng UV-5RA 
is a dual band handheld radio that is usable in the VHF/UHF range. It transmits/receives from 108 to 180MHZ and 400 to 480 MHZ as well as the FM broadcast band. You can monitor two stations at the same time also. This comes in handy if you are communicating with your prepper FRS group while listening for emergency reports from local police and fire departments.
One thing that you see all the time is the prepper who practices on a daily basis and knows what he has and is ready. What you don't see is preparing with communications. The prepper may have a pile of radio gear ready to go, but if he doesn't practice using the gear on a regular basis he is going to be lost.
The
Baofeng UV-5Ra is an excellent choice for such an operator. Not only can it be used on the amateur radio bands but is also capable of communicating on FRS/GMRS frequencies as well.
One way to get the practice you need is to get your amateur radio license. Amateur radio operators are constantly working together to communicate better and familiarize themselves with their equipment. They also can set up a station in an emergency and provide communications for local government offices such as police and fire departments as well as hospitals.
The
Baofeng UV-5Ra combined with a ham/amateur radio license can be a very valuable tool to use in the case of an emergency. If you are a prepper then consider getting your ham radio license and joining the ham radio community.