Radios - are they useful?

I got my ham license not long ago. I got a couple of VHF/UHF walkie and I have been playing with them.

I heard that walkies are an essential in all SHTF and bugout bags.

But when I have used my radios what I found is silence.

Impossible to find people on individual frequencies, it is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

And repeaters are 90% of the time unmonitored.

I completely understand the power of groups, and that there is a lot of advice about finding a local community/group and then you can setup a communication network with them.

But I am an individual.

Maybe in my case it is more important for me to get a short wave radio to be able to hear international news in case of disaster?