Hurricane Florence is making its way towards the Carolinas and the East Coast. It’s not lookin’ pretty, as evacuations are underway in some parts of the states that are right in the line of fire. But, while many news stations and media members are braving the conditions to keep us informed and document the storm, I did not expect to open up the internet today and read that Waffle House is among the best organizations in emergency planning.
As Hurricane Florence, a Category 3 storm, drives toward the East Coast, Waffle House is monitoring the impending dangerous weather by activating its storm center.
The popular Georgia-based diner chain renowned for its 365-day 24-hour service has an emergency routine that’s so well-regarded, the Federal Emergency Management Agency unofficially uses the restaurants’ status as an indicator for the severity of a natural disaster.
I had to read this story and double and triple check the link to make sure this wasn’t an Onion article or something. I swear. Just kept reading and refreshing, thinking, “this can’t be the real FOX News.” But, folks – it is.
Just think about the absurdity of that fact for a minute – let it soak in. Waffle House is so good at monitoring storms and developing an emergency routine, that FEMA leans on them to measure the potential damage of a storm.
WAFFLE HOUSE!
“If you get there and the Waffle House is closed? That’s really bad. That’s where you go to work,” then FEMA administrator Craig Fugate said.
When a storm strikes, local officials will put out a call to the nearest Waffle House and find out what’s on the menu. The “Waffle House Index” has three, color-coded levels: green means the restaurant is open and serving a full menu; yellow indicates the menu has been scaled back and there may be water but no power; and red indicates the restaurant is completely shut down—and the area is likely in need of serious assistance.
The restaurant tweeted a photo Wednesday of employees at the corporate office in Norcross siting around a table monitoring the storm’s path as they determine if any locations will need to close.
Again, this is a REAL story! But, I love that it’s not even a phone call to say, “hey, what’s going on?” It’s a full scale coding system that’s based on what they’re serving at the Waffle House. The more food they’re serving, the better.
But, the larger issue? If your area Waffle House isn’t open, that’s bad news. But, come to think of it – I don’t think I’ve ever seen any of the Nashville area Waffle Houses closed. Pretty sure I know where I’m going when the zombie apocalypse hits Nashville.
People talk about Google, Facebook, and Amazon taking over the world, but I’m beginning to think that Waffle House is tricking us all. They don’t want us to know that they’re secretly pulling the strings behind the scenes.
It’s comforting to know that they’re using that power and responsibility for good, but let’s vow to never piss off Waffle House. All hail Waffle House.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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