Waffle House announced Thursday it would close its restaurants along Interstate 95 in Florida because of Hurricane Matthew. By Friday morning, the restaurant chain announced that 25 locations in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina would be closed.
And that could be cause for concern.
Waffle House is known for staying open through natural disasters. So when the chain is forced to close a location, it's worth paying attention.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency uses the breakfast-food chain to gauge how seriously a storm is expected to affect a community.
FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate began using the "Waffle House Index" when he was head of Florida's Department of Emergency Management from 2001 to 2009 and he noted that a Waffle House restaurant's operations could be a good indication of its surrounding area.
According to a 2011 Wall Street Journal article, here's how it works:
"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."
Waffle House lost power at 22 of its locations along the east coast of the U.S. after Hurricane Irene in 2011, and all but one were back up and running shortly after, the Wall Street Journal reported.
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