Ham Radio Not a Viable Option for Egypt?

Despite the obvious value of Amateur Radio in emergency situations as experienced in the Haiti earthquake recently, experts disagree on whether or not it would or would not have been of value in the recent unrest in #Egypt where the government shut down conventional means of communications.  Link to article.  I'm on the side of the argument that says Ham Radio is invaluable in these sorts of situations, especially when the health and welfare of friends and family is unknown.