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You realize that if you call Texas you can also reach someone locally.
A lot of ham equipment can be run off of batteries, generators, solar power, vehicles, etc. for some hams, that's even a big part of what interests them- going out into the woods or other remote areas to see who they can make contact with from there.
There are official policies in place for ham radio operators to work with local emergency services. ARES & RACES, for example. I know that my $20 baofeng can even be used directly on some emergency frequencies (depending on what sort of radio system they're using)
As an example of how it might work
If cell and landline phones are inoperable, you might instead have volunteer ham operators posted at various places around the community- probably schools, government buildings, hospitals, recreation centers, etc. places where people might gather, where aide is being distributed, that might have backup generators, etc.
And you also have them or professional radio operators at police/fire/ambulance stations, 911 dispatch centers.
Someone having an emergency would let the local ham operator know and have them relay the info to the station or dispatch center so they could send help
Less efficient than just calling 911 of course, but better than nothing.
I work in a 911 dispatch center, we have a small room full of ham equipment that we can send out or use for these sorts of situations (luckily we're not in an area prone to major natural disasters, so it's rare that we ever have to use it if ever, but we're prepared if it ever happens)
You can only reach someone locally if they also happen to have power, which as noted, is the problem scenario here.
If everyone around you is powerless, and you have power, it doesn't really matter if you can transmit or not, nobody locally can hear you.
Did you miss where I addressed that by pointing out how generators, batteries, solar panels, and vehicle mounted radios exist?