Baofengs work and they're reliable and they're available.
They also have a bunch of accessories available too.
And upgrades.
Here's a list of channels for SHTF situations.
Save this
You're gonna want this too.
It's a program called Chirp.
It'll help you program your radio much much faster than you can do it by hand.
Also it's got a crapload of cool features to check out.
You're gonna need a special cable, but it's worth every penny.
https://chirp.danplanet.com/projects/chirp/wiki/Download
https://radiofreeq.wordpress.com/2013/07/15/3-3-3-radio-plan-for-shtf-communications/
Don't just get good at the operation of your radio,
get good at 'how to use it' too.
There are some valuable strategies.
Did you know you could send pictures and emails over the waves?
It's possible, people do it.
Things like that.
I'm in the same boat as you. I don't know jack
but I learned enough. Radios are cool as shit