FEMA Uses Waffle House Menu to Determine Storm Damage

How to Measure a Storm's Fury One Breakfast at a Time

 

Disaster Pros Look to 'Waffle House Index';

 

State of the Menu Gives Clue to Damage

 

By VALERIE BAUERLEIN

 

WELDON, N.C.—When a hurricane makes landfall, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency relies on a couple of metrics to assess its destructive power.

 

First, there is the well-known Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale. Then there is what he calls the "Waffle House Index."

 

Green means the restaurant is serving a full menu, a signal that damage in an area is limited and the lights are on. Yellow means a limited menu, indicating power from a generator, at best, and low food supplies. Red means the restaurant is closed, a sign of severe damage in the area or unsafe conditions.

 

The mobile command center, above, went to Havelock, N.C., during Irene.

 

"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."

 

Waffle House Inc. has 1,600 restaurants stretching from the mid-Atlantic to Florida and across the Gulf Coast, leaving it particularly vulnerable to hurricanes. Other businesses, of course, strive to reopen as quickly as possible after disasters. But the Waffle House, which spends almost nothing on advertising, has built a marketing strategy around the goodwill gained from being open when customers are most desperate.

 

 

Post Continues on online.wsj.com

FEMA Uses Waffle House Menu to Determine Storm Damage "UNDOCUMENTED WORKERS" RECEIVE $4 BILLION FROM IRS IN 2010? The last resort: More and more Americans are calling long-stay motels home Obama’s Enron Murdoch Nets $12.5M Bonus, Son James Declines Bonus Terrorism Today is Uploading Youtube Videos TSA Awareness Project - Topic spotlight WikiLeaks - A member Topic Spotlight WikiLeaks - Cable: UN peacekeepers traded food for sex Microsoft 'intentionally designed software for phones to track customers without their consent' Euro Govs: protected and participated in CIA ops which violated fundamental tenets of our systems of justice and human rights protection Base partially evacuated Hazmat situation, suspicious package reported at Scott Illinois Air Force Base Two Toronto PIGS Shiver In Fear Over Unruly 9 yr old - Forced to Handcuff Child U.S. newborn death rate tied with Qatar Conspiracy Files looks at why some people still question what really happened on 9/11 Support the Champion of the Constitution - www.ronpaul2012.com All charges dropped against Detroit mom Maryanne Godboldo Fast and Furious Fallout Willie Brown got low-key early warning about air travel on 9/11

Comment

You need to be a member of 12160 Social Network to add comments!

Join 12160 Social Network

"Destroying the New World Order"

TOP CONTENT THIS WEEK

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE SITE!

mobile page

12160.info/m

12160 Administrators

 

Latest Activity

tjdavis posted a blog post
yesterday
Doc Vega posted a blog post
yesterday
Doc Vega posted blog posts
Tuesday
Doc Vega posted blog posts
Monday
Doc Vega favorited tjdavis's photo
Sunday
Doc Vega commented on tjdavis's photo
Thumbnail

Game Night

"Ha! Good one!"
Sunday
Doc Vega commented on FREEDOMROX's blog post MRNA VACCINES: Question
"Listen man I know where you're at but back in October of 2023 thru December of 2023 for months…"
Sunday
tjdavis posted a video

Architecton | Official Trailer HD | A24

SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/A24subscribeWritten and directed by Victor Kossakovsky and starring Michele De Lucchi. ARCHITECTON – Coming Soon RELEASE DATE: Comin...
Sunday
tjdavis posted photos
Sunday
tjdavis posted a blog post
Sunday
Burbia posted a video

Europe Will Not Survive

The hubris.All things Archaix at www.archaix.com
Sunday
FREEDOMROX posted a video
Jun 21
Burbia commented on tjdavis's blog post Track AIPAC
Jun 20
rlionhearted_3 commented on Doc Vega's blog post Latest Details on Missile Exchanges Between Iran and Israel
"May get really ugly over there?"
Jun 20
Doc Vega posted a blog post

Latest Details on Missile Exchanges Between Iran and Israel

Latest information about the air attacks between Israel and Iran as the US moves another carrier…See More
Jun 19
tjdavis favorited Less Prone's video
Jun 19
tjdavis posted a blog post
Jun 19
cheeki kea replied to cheeki kea's discussion Tartaria
"Some interesting information has come to light ( from the renaissance period ) which explains that…"
Jun 19
Sandy posted a video
Jun 19
John Miller replied to MAC's discussion BREAKING! UFO whistleblowers drop BOMBSHELL on D.C. | Redacted with Natali and Clayton Morris
"Yes, the whole whistleblower situation is getting more intense, especially with all these bombshell…"
Jun 18

© 2025   Created by truth.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service

content and site copyright 12160.info 2007-2019 - all rights reserved. unless otherwise noted