You haven't said what you plan on doing with the radio. Who do you plan on communicating with? Do you need more than one radio? Without knowing what you want to radio for, it's difficult to do more than guess on what radio service might work best for you.

My wife and I are ham radio operators, and we also use GMRS, FRS, and MURS radios. Each has its place. We don't have a boat, so we don't use Marine FM. If you own a boat, I'd suggest equipping it with a Marine radio, in addition to whatever else you may buy.

All radios are of some use in an emergency, but it depends. FRS and GMRS/FRS radios are toys with very limited range. However, Louise and I still use them when they fit our needs. We have 5W GMRS radios we bought when they still sold GMRS-only radios (and we got our GMRS license). They have decent, removable rubber duck antennas, and we get decent range from them. We use them often in big box stores when we go our separate ways to browse and shop. The range goes from a few blocks to a few miles, depending on terrain.

If you aren't interested in getting your ham license, don't bother getting a ham radio. An FCC license is required, you get a callsign, and hams are very protective of the privilege of operating, so if you use amateur radio without a license you likely will be turned in (and properly so).

Amateur radio, though, is the most useful of the various services we use. There are repeaters all over the area that extend the range of our handhelds to hundreds of square miles. When you have your hurricane, you'll be able to communicate with other hams who are outside the affected area to report your location, damage, injuries, etc.

The problem is that you really need to use your radios to be comfortable with them, to know how to use them in emergencies, and to be able to give reliable, understandable information to those trying to provide help. Louise and I are in an emergency communication club and have training on operating during emergencies. We also have CERT training, and we participate in CERT exercises using amateur radio. We volunteer to provide communications in various bikeathons, walkathons, and such for charities to raise funds, which provides training for all us hams as well as doing good for the community.

Conversely, whether you're licensed or not, if you get a ham radio and don't know what you're doing, you'll screw up the controlled communications that are providing rescue assistance.

If you get a marine radio, please learn how to use it, and do use it when you're on your boat. Knowledge is the key to effective communication, and you need to know what you're doing.