>>1700188It really REALLY depends on who you want to talk to, and what equipment they have.
Hams have a lot of spectrum, but the lack of coordination makes its use challenging for emergencies.
Might have luck locally on 146.52 or 446.0, but I wouldn't rely on it. Same for repeaters - there's some good repeater systems out there with a good coverage footprint, but remember that most hams are old guys who don't have the money/skills/knowledge/health to put together a good high-availability network. Hobby/personal vs. career/professional.
Public safety systems are well-coordinated, have a reliable backbone and coverage, and get regular maintenance (not just when something breaks). There's going to be someone on there who can help, but i'm only going to use that as a last-resort if everything else fails (cellular and plb). It's also not someting your average person can get onto; need a fair bit of training and a reason to have that radio and an ID on the network.
Recreationally, use an FRS/GMRS radio. They're cheap and they work just fine within a group.
No reason not to get your ham license though. It's easy.
