Internet Played a Big Role in Flood Response

As heavy rains and high winds from Tropical Storm Irene roared through Vermont on Aug. 28, local emergency teams, news outlets and state disaster management officials sought to keep up with incident after incident happening across the state. But as roads washed out, power went down and travel throughout the state became increasingly difficult, Internet technology and social media stepped into the spotlight.

Stories about the storm flowed through mediums like Facebook and Twitter, and cell phone videos of road washouts and bridge collapses began to appear on YouTube just minutes after the incidents occurred. Gov. Peter Shumlin and other government offices released a constant stream of updates through social media, and within days people across the state began coordinating aid and response efforts through Facebook groups and websites...