When Waffle House boards up, you know it's time to get out.
Hurricane Helene is nearing the Florida coastline, and the Category 2 hurricane looks like it will cause catastrophic damage. NBC News reported that the hurricane is barrelling toward Florida and could be an intense Category 3 hurricane by the time it hits land, with current wind speeds of 110 miles per hour.
While officials encourage residents to evacuate, sometimes locals who know how to brave a serious storm choose to buckle down and stick it out. However, with Waffle Houses in Florida boarding up their windows, it shows how severe this storm could be.
If you're rereading that sentence and thinking, "Waffle House? That's the measure of when it's time to leave town?" The answer is yes, you read that correctly. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has a storm severity measure system called "The Waffle House Index."
What is the Waffle House Index?
FEMA defines the Waffle House Index as a measure of how businesses can run pre- or post-storm and how open businesses can help a community return to a " normal " state after a storm.
"The index itself isn’t just about whether or not you can get pralines on your waffles or if you can get waffles at all, but rather about the damage in a neighborhood.If a Waffle House can serve a full menu, they’ve likely got power (or are running on a generator). A limited menu means an area may not have running water or electricity, but there’s gas for the stove to make bacon, eggs, and coffee: exactly what hungry, weary people need."
While the Waffle House index is much larger than just Waffle House, it's a good baseline given the breakfast diner is open seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day.
https://twitter.com/lexfix/status/1839014818260324842
Florida Waffle Houses Board Up Windows
As Helene barrels toward land, Waffle House locations are scaring residents, boarding their windows. With locations all over Florida putting large wood panels over their windows, social media is in a frenzy.
Many Florida natives who have been through a few hurricanes are not fear-stricken, posting that they have never seen Waffle House board up their windows or close their doors to the public.
"In areas predicted to be hit hardest hit, we will preemptively close restaurants with a goal of reopening them as soon it is safe to do so, to serve communities that have been there for us over the years.Safety comes first."
A Waffle House representative told the Tallahassee Democrat.
For readers in Florida, if you pass a closed Waffle House, I'd take it as a sign to seek shelter elsewhere. Check out what social media users are saying regarding the activation of the Waffle House Index.
https://twitter.com/DWoodsAdvisor/status/1839366085591892202
https://twitter.com/raemery/status/1839299441351864521
https://twitter.com/Superjew75/status/1839367321753952677
https://twitter.com/jackdray/status/1839373493991051609
https://twitter.com/HoneyBeeRock/status/1839335589256298889
https://twitter.com/korinreid/status/1839362224898621520
https://twitter.com/wxcorey/status/1839139766828245110
https://twitter.com/LitMoose/status/1839347360402751529
https://twitter.com/TwistNHook/status/1839367904007229567
https://twitter.com/Schizointel/status/1839366322003882037
