The future of the National Traffic System
http://www.eham.net/articles/12198

[snip]
For those of you who may not know, the National Traffic System (NTS)
consists of a carefully choreographed collection of section, region, and
area nets designed to relay messages throughout the US. In a sense it's the
second "R" in ARRL. NTS has a long and honorable history and has some of the
best operators in the world as its membership.

The recent hurricane season has raised serious doubts for me about the role
that NTS plays in the current ham-radio environment. I did not hear a single
health-and-welfare message during the disasters. In bygone times, NTS would
have been buzzing with activity.
[snip]