When Hurricane Sandy hit the Northeast earlier this month and left many without power, those affected turned to their smartphones to access the mobile web and get information about when electricity would be restored.
According to mobile website platform Usablenet, smartphone traffic to utility company websites such as Con Edison and Connecticut Light & Power, increased by as much as 16,000% during and after the storm.
The data comes from 10 of the most relevant and searched websites Usablenet manages in the U.S.
Other sites which experienced huge traffic growth included transportation companies (up 465%) such as Amtrak and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), the New York City subway system.
“During times of crisis and power outages, people use mobile devices to gain information to determine and plan the impact of the disaster,” said Usablenet marketing chief Carin Van Vuuren. “Members of the public need to be able to access real time critical information easily and quickly.”
The utility and transportation mobile sites saw the most traffic influx on Tuesday, October 27 -- the day after Hurricane Sandy impacted most of the East Coast.