S*it just got real: Waffle House activates its storm center ahead of Florence

Greg P. | 10:31 AM on September 12, 2018

As Hurricane Florence makes its way toward the Carolinas, we feel confident that at least one business is ready for what comes next. America, let Waffle House show you how its done:

The ⁦@WaffleHouse⁩ Storm Center is activated and monitoring #Florence. Plan ahead and be safe. pic.twitter.com/UOBi5oZRRi

— Waffle House News (@WaffleHouseNews) September 11, 2018

Waffle House has long been known for its ability to restore operations quickly after a storm, with disaster officials even using the chain as a metric for the pace of the overall recover. From the AJC:

FEMA Administrator W. Craig Fugate has long been a fan of Waffle House’s ability to prepare for emergencies and bounce back quickly from hurricanes and other harsh weather. It can operate on a limited menu and keeps managers out of the disaster zone but close enough to return immediately after an evacuation.

As a state official in Florida, Fugate coined something called the “Waffle House test.” If a Waffle House is open after a hurricane, you can assume the water and power are still on. If it’s closed, conditions are still pretty bad.

And it’s not just hurricanes. Waffle House handles ice storms, too. From Marketwatch:

But there were a couple of days last January where this Waffle House was packed to the brim. It was during the ice storm that paralyzed the metro Atlanta area, and Palmer says people took refuge here.

“A lot of people were stranded on the highway with cars and they couldn’t get to their cars,” Palmer said. “But since we’re a staple in the community, they always knew they can come here and get great service and great food.”

Palmer and his employees worked shifts around-the-clock as the city thawed – the company put him and other employees up in hotel rooms nearby.