I happen to have a handheld maritime emergency radio around, mostly because I got my hands on it for free* a few years back. It could serve the same function, provided someone else is using the same frequencies. I live in a coastal environment, so there's always someone around that are legally required to listen on Ch16.

*: I used to work with maritime electronics, and one day we had a recall order from one of our suppliers. Turned out one batch of this one particular handheld radio had a potential minor problem with the squelch, so they were no longer IMO approved for emergency use. We were to throw them away and a refund would be issued. I took one home and just paid for a battery and charger. It's now sitting in my kitchen.

The longest ones also have (or at least had) a max of a few days of battery and many just 1-2 days. Found this out when Hurricane Ike rolled through Houston.