Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – During the Titanic disaster, it was telegraph.

During World War II, it was shortwave radio.

In the 21st Century, it’s social media.

Omar Perez-Figueroa, an assistant professor of urban and regional planning at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has studied the rise in social media traffic during natural disasters; specifically, Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. Perez-Figueroa says even with a devastated power grid, people Tweeted on.

“Being able to access critical data during and after a disaster can provide the difference between life and death, especially for those on the ground. Recognizing the increasing use of social media for disaster response and aid can increase communities’ disaster resilience, especially when the communities hardest hit have limited communication and are remote, like the case of Puerto Rico,” Pérez-Figueroa wrote.

His work is published in the Journal of Environmental Studies and Science.