I have one strong bias when it comes to emergency radios: forget AM or FM or short-wave. If you want good, constant coverage in an emergency, get a radio with a TV-band tuner. I come by this bias after having been through multiple hurricanes here in Florida (two of which caused me to gather up wife and child and evacuate…those hurricanes weren’t anything like Katrina, but I don’t roll the dice like some folks do). AM/FM radio coverage in an emergency is a distant second to what you can get from TV. Don’t worry about not having a picture; it’s still better than what radio stations provide. Even radio stations that simulcast do so only fitfully, and then only for a short-while. Shortly after the storm (or whatever emergency) has passed, the radio stations go back to frivolous entertainment while the TV stations keep on providing useful information.

My pocket radio is a Sangean DT-220V. It takes two AA batteries and has both speaker and ear-buds. I had to have a speaker even in the small radio so that when I am huddled in the bathroom with aforementioned wife and child, they could also hear the tornado warning broadcasts.

My larger radio is a Sony ICF-36. That takes four AA batteries and has an AC adapter.

The Sangean is pricey (I think it was around $60 when I bought it); the Sony was cheap ($25).

p.s. I also have a BayGen Freeplay, but it lacks the TV-band tuner, so it’s more of a conversation piece.