Waffle House Index
The Waffle House Index is an informal metric used by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to determine the effect of a storm and the likely scale of assistance required for disaster recovery.[1]
- "If you get there and the Waffle House is closed? That's really bad. That's when you go to work."[2]
Levels[edit]
The index has three levels, based on the extent of operations and service at the restaurant following a storm:[2][3]
- GREEN: full menu - restaurant has power and damage is limited.
- YELLOW: limited menu - no power or only power from a generator, or food supplies may be low.
- RED: the restaurant is closed - indicating severe damage.
Background[edit]
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.[4][5]
The measure is based on the reputation of the restaurant chain Waffle House 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. 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 a cut-down menu prepared for times when there is no power or limited supplies, the Waffle House Index rarely reaches the red level.[2][4]
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.[2]
Example[edit]
On Thursday October 6, 2016, the index reached red when all Waffle House restaurants on Florida's I-95 between Titusville and Fort Pierce were closed. This index change was caused by Hurricane Matthew ravaging Caribbean islands and the east coast of the United States.[6]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ McKenna, Maryn (6 December 2016). "If Waffle House Is Closed, It's Time To Panic". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
- ^ a b c d "How to Measure a Storm's Fury One Breakfast at a Time". Wall Street Journal. September 1, 2011.
- ^ "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!: Craig Fugate". National Public Radio. May 28, 2016.
- ^ a b "What Do Waffles Have to Do with Risk Management?". EHS Today. July 6, 2011.
- ^ "What the Waffle House Can Teach About Managing Supply Chain Risk". Insurance Journal. July 19, 2011.
- ^ Helsel, Phil (6 October 2016). "Waffle Houses Close in Florida, in Bad 'Index' Omen". NBC News (Waffle House Index reaches red). Retrieved 7 October 2016.
External links[edit]
- FEMA Blog: News of the Day (July 7, 2011) – What do Waffle Houses Have to Do with Risk Management?
- Always Open | Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine
- Colbert Report segment on FEMA's Waffle House Index
- Data Crunch episode on the Waffle House Index
