Not new to prepping but communication is definitely a blind spot for me.

I have family living 5 miles (direct line) from my house. The driving distance is more like 8.5 mi. Live in a hilly area, covered with forest.
https://pakipackages.com/telenor/telenor-sms-packages/
What would be the best (within a reasonable budget) way of communicating if cell phones are not working?

I started looking at 2-way radios and know the 35-mile range is BS. In my area, I'm sure that is probably closer to 1, which doesn't really help much.

Any suggestions? Thanks in advance, sorry for my ignorance on this subject.