How Waffle House Helps FEMA Assess Storm Severity



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What do waffles have to do with safety in bad weather?

All apparently.

Believe it or not, FEMA depends on Waffle House to assess how dangerous conditions are in hurricanes.

This is what is known as the "Waffle House Index".

It has three levels:

  • If you see a waffle house open and offering a full menu, the area is clear.
  • If the menu is limited, people should probably start developing safety plans. This means the restaurant does not have power or runs on a generator.
  • And if it is closed, there is probably severe flooding or major damage in the area and people should be safe. The locations of the waffle houses are rarely close, so it must be an extreme case of extreme weather conditions.

"We may have to close some restaurants," says Pat Warner, director of public relations and outreach at Waffle House. "It's a little difficult for us because all our restaurants are open 24/7. We do not know how to shut down things, so we need to shut down a restaurant in an orderly manner. "

Waffle House has a storm center outside of Atlanta. It is there that the company follows the storm and sends information to its restaurants.

But there are also people on the ground who are looking at the conditions. These people are those who have a clearer vision of what is going on and help decide when to close the restaurants.

Waffle House is prepared with a team of jumps that supports regular staff in case of storm. This allows the restaurants to continue to function as employees return home and stay safe with their families.

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