Moretown, Vermont, was severely impacted by Tropical Storm Irene, with water levels reaching 19.06 feet, near historical highs. The community utilized social media to foster communication, collaboration, and recovery efforts during the crisis. Residents expressed gratitude for the support received from both local and out-of-town volunteers in the aftermath of the disaster.

1. Vermont Communities in a Digital Age
Vermont Technical College
February 16, 2012

2. Moretown
and
TS Irene
Moretown was particularly
hard hit by Tropical Storm
Irene. The day before
Irene hit, the Mad River
tricked through Moretown
at less than 100 cfs, at a
river height of 3 feet. At
the peak of the storm, the
water crested at 19.o6
feet, just shy of the 19.4
feet in 1927.
Picture by George Soules

3. Irene & Social Media :
A perfect storm
Front Page Forum
Twitter- #VTIrene
#VTResponse
Facebook
Picture by Mansfield Heliflight

4. A community in crisis :
communication
Picture by Stefan Hard

5. A community in crisis :
recovery
Photo by Craig Goss

6. A school in crisis :
collaboration
Photo by Stefan Hard

7. Using social media to
share our story

8. Recovery, rebuildin
g, and hope
“We’ve lost halfa house
but we’ve gained a
community. I’ve never
experienced being
carried through a
devastating event by
large numbers of
friends, neighbors, and
complete strangers
before. Thank you
Moretown and out-of-
town volunteers for
your heart-breaking
generosity.”
- Elga Gemst
Photo by Craig Goss