Waffle House Index Explained

The Waffle House Index is a metric named after the ubiquitous Southern US restaurant chain Waffle House known for its 24-hour, 365-day service. Since this restaurant always remains open, it has given rise to an informal but useful metric to determine the severity of a storm and the likely scale of assistance required for disaster recovery.[1] [2] It was coined by former administrator Craig Fugate of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The metric is unofficially[3] used by FEMA to inform disaster response.[4] [5]

Description

The index is based on Waffle House's reputation for having good disaster preparedness and staying open during extreme weather or reopening quickly afterwards.

Levels

The index consists of three levels, based on the extent of operations and service at the restaurant following a storm:[6] [7]

LevelServiceImplication
GREENFull menu Restaurant has power and damage is minimal or absent.
YELLOWLimited menu Power is either absent or delivered by a generator, or food supplies are running low.
REDRestaurant is closed Indicates severe damage, severe flooding; Severe destruction to the restaurant.

Background

The term was coined by FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate in May 2011 following the 2011 Joplin tornado, during which the two Waffle House restaurants in Joplin remained open.[8] [9] [10]

The measure is based on Waffle House's reputation for staying open during extreme weather and for reopening quickly, albeit sometimes with a limited menu, after very severe weather events such as tornadoes or hurricanes. The chain's disaster preparedness measures include assembling and training "Waffle House jump teams" to facilitate fast reopening after disasters. Waffle House, along with other chains (such as Home Depot, Walmart, and Lowe's) which do a significant proportion of their business in the southern US where there is a frequent risk of hurricanes, have good risk management and disaster preparedness. Because of this, and the fact that a cut-down menu is prepared for times when there is no power or limited supplies, the Waffle House Index rarely reaches the red level.

The "Waffle House Index" sits alongside more formal measures of wind, rainfall, and other weather information, such as the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale, which are used to indicate the intensity of a storm.

Dan Stoneking, FEMA director of external affairs, wrote in a FEMA blog post:[11] [12]

A FOIA request response in 2017 included emails saying that the Waffle House Index was a personal project of Craig Fugate's, denying a connection between the Waffle House Index and FEMA's National Business Emergency Operations Center.[13]

In 2022, because of the expected severity of Hurricane Ian, 35 Waffle Houses closed in Florida prior to the storm's arrival, an extremely rare event. Hurricane Ian eventually made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane with winds of, peaking out over the Atlantic Ocean as a Category 5 hurricane.

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Rossman. Sean. 7 September 2017. How FEMA uses Waffle Houses in disasters. USA Today. 31 October 2021.
  2. News: Zraick. Karen. Caron. Christina. 2018-09-13. Landfall, Storm Surge and the Waffle House Index: Hurricane Terms and What They Mean. en-US. The New York Times. 2021-10-31. 0362-4331.
  3. News: Mettler. Katie. 7 October 2016. The 'Waffle House index': Hurricane Matthew is so scary even the always-open eatery is evacuating. en-US. The Washington Post. 2021-10-31. 0190-8286.
  4. McKnight. Brent. Linnenluecke. Martina K.. 2016. How Firm Responses to Natural Disasters Strengthen Community Resilience: A Stakeholder-Based Perspective. Organization & Environment. 29. 3. 290–307. 10.1177/1086026616629794 . 26164770 . 147604088 . 1086-0266. JSTOR.
  5. News: Wolff-Mann. Ethan. 7 October 2016. Here's what FEMA told us about the Waffle House Index. Yahoo! Finance. 31 October 2021.
  6. News: Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!. Fugate. Craig. National Public Radio. May 28, 2016.
  7. News: Smith. K. Annabelle. 30 August 2012. How Waffle House Uses Twitter to Help Recovery Efforts. Smithsonian Magazine. 31 October 2021.
  8. News: Walter. Laura. July 6, 2011. What Do Waffles Have to Do with Risk Management?. EHS Today.
  9. News: What the Waffle House Can Teach About Managing Supply Chain Risk. Insurance Journal. July 19, 2011.
  10. Web site: Brown . JPat . FEMA really does have a 'Waffle House Index' for hurricanes – and they're not too happy about it . MuckRock . 30 October 2019 . 1 September 2017 . Term first coined by FEMA Administrator Fugate in May, 2011, following Joplin tornado – two Waffle House restaurants remained open after EF5 tornado struck the city on May 22. Key quote: "If you get there and the Waffle House is closed?" FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate has said. "That's really bad. That's where you go to work.".
  11. Web site: News of the Day – What do Waffle Houses Have to Do with Risk Management?. https://web.archive.org/web/20200728031512/http://www.fema.gov/blog/2011-07-07/news-day-what-do-waffle-houses-have-do-risk-management . 2020-07-28 . FEMA.gov. 2018-09-12.
  12. News: Hurricane Florence is a serious threat – just ask the Waffle House storm center. Judkis. Maura. September 12, 2018. Washington Post. 2018-09-12.
  13. Web site: Brown . JPat . FEMA really does have a 'Waffle House Index' for hurricanes – and they're not too happy about it . MuckRock . 30 October 2019 . 1 September 2017 . I wouldn't connect the Waffle House to the NBEOC. The Waffle House is Craig's thing..