To that end, if Congress wants to mandate AM radios in cars for public safety and national security purposes, perhaps something should be done to rectify this problem somewhat?
It seems like a solvable problem if one throws enough money at it, but alas, most stations don't have that luxury anymore.
Streaming isn't a good option. @Daryl Lynn L.A. mentioned wildfires in California, and I can speak from personal experience that, more often than not, when the big ones come, anything digital almost invariably fails miserably, usually because either the cell towers or the infrastructure supporting them is overloaded, damaged or destroyed, but never have more than a few radio or TV stations been knocked out (mostly in the Paradise, CA area during the Camp fire in 2018).
The state and local governments have had many opportunities to solve or at least improve upon these problems, but almost inevitably, when they are put to the test, they fail.
There is a new app out called Watch Duty which seems to work pretty well, but again, it relies on a working cellular connection, so if that goes out, it's of little use.
So until someone can come up with a digital system that is relatively foolproof and solidly reliable, I'm going to remain skeptical and will simply rely on my own senses (if I see or smell smoke, I prepare to leave, and if I see flames heading for me, I run!)
c
