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The Waffle House Natural Disaster Index, explained

Topline

Florida residents exposed to Hurricane Helene who may have underestimated the storm's severity faced the harsh reality of its dangers when several Waffle House locations in Tallahassee boarded up their windows and closed, declaring the storm “red” Marked on the now federally recognized list was “Waffle House Index,” which quickly spread on social media.

Important facts

Waffle House — which famously stayed open despite hurricanes, blizzards and other natural disasters — began closing locations in Tallahassee, Florida, and the news spread across social media as the ultimate sign of impending doom.

Former Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) administrator Craig Fugate developed the “Waffle House Index” in 2011 after a tornado ripped through Joplin, Missouri, and two of the chain's restaurants in the city remained open, prompting him to make the statement : “If you get there and the Waffle House is closed? This is really bad.”

When Waffle Houses are open in an area and offer a full menu, this is green on the index, a limited menu is yellow on the scale, meaning the local area may be without power or water, and the index changes to red, If this is the case, locations will be closed, suggesting the local community will need significant help.

Waffle House has its own storm center that is activated when planning for a natural disaster, and FEMA said it is just one of the business partners that helps the agency assess how a community is recovering (along with Target, Walmart, Lowes and others).

In Tallahassee, at least one location was back up and running as of 7 a.m. EDT Friday.

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Crucial quote

“If a Waffle House can serve a full meal, it probably has electricity (or runs on a generator),” Fugate said in a FEMA agency blog post several years ago. “A limited menu means that one area may not have running water or electricity, but there is gas for the stove to make bacon, eggs and coffee: exactly what hungry, tired people need.”

Important background

Waffle House closed all of its locations in Tallahassee and a nearby location in Crawfordville, Florida, on Thursday. The company relies on weather forecasts and government advisories when making decisions, and also tends to follow mandatory evacuation orders, USA Today said. Late Thursday evening, Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 in the Big Bend area of ​​Florida. The storm moved through Florida and much of Georgia overnight and was centered about 30 miles northeast of Athens, Georgia, as of 7 a.m. EDT on Friday. At least six deaths were reported and more than two million people were without power as of Friday morning. The storm, which has since been downgraded from a hurricane, is expected to continue moving toward the Carolinas and Tennessee Valley on Friday.

tangent

Not only is Waffle House known for staying open through the worst of times, it's also known for bouncing back quickly. During Hurricane Irene in 2011, Waffle House lost power to 22 restaurants in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. Within a few days, all but one had reopened. Weldon, North Carolina, went without electricity and served scrambled eggs and sausage biscuits cooked on a gas stove. In a blog post, Waffle House said it has taken its post-disaster business strategy particularly seriously since Hurricane Katrina closed more than 100 locations and destroyed seven in 2005. Despite the damage, “those that reopened quickly were packed with customers.”

Further reading

ForbesHurricane Helene is heading over Georgia toward the Tennessee Valley – here's what you need to knowFrom Mary Whitfill Roeloffs
ForbesMore than 2 million people without power as Hurricane Helene hits Georgia as a Category 1 storm (Photos)From Siladitya RayForbesWhy Helene is particularly worrying for meteorologistsFrom Marshall Shepherd

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