That number is in stark contrast to the thousands of cars, buses and ambulances left stranded last month after cleanup crews struggled to plow streets days after the storm.
Like the overall U.S. figures, that number represents a big contrast with the previous quarter (4Q 2010), when Verizon posted 9% growth in text messaging use, as well as the year-ago quarter (1Q 2010), when Verizon saw a 34% increase in text messaging.