Availability

• A radio is among the fundamental needs for a survivalist in the days and weeks after a disaster. Cell phones, television, satellite and cable technologies rely on signals that may not be available in a post-disaster scenario, but radio waves are likely to still be transmitted.
  
  

Information

• Radios can help survivalists disseminate information to others. Radio operators can broadcast reports on where to find supplies, where to find health care, the availability of emergency workers, and general survival skill advice.
  
  

Types

• Hand-cranked or solar-powered radios are optimal for survivalists because they rely on power sources that will not run out and are not dependent upon electrical grids. Some survivalists also keep a police radio scanner on hand to monitor law enforcement activity.