Waffle House Index
Encyclopedia
The Waffle House Index is an informal metric used by the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) to determine the impact of a storm and the likely scale of assistance required for disaster recovery. The measure is based on the reputation of the Waffle House
restaurant chain for staying open during extreme weather and for reopening quickly, albeit sometimes with a limited menu, after very severe weather events such as tornado
s or hurricanes. The term was coined by FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate
in May 2011, following the Joplin tornado
; the two Waffle House restaurants in Joplin remained open after the EF5
multiple-vortex tornado struck the city on May 22. According to Fugate, "If you get there and the Waffle House is closed? That’s really bad. That’s where you go to work."
The Index has three levels, based on the extent of operations and service at the restaurant following a storm:
Professor Panos Kouvelis of Olin Business School says 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, demonstrates the benefit of good risk management
and disaster preparedness. Because the restaurants have a disaster plan and a cut-down menu pre-prepared for times when there is no power or limited supplies, the Waffle House Index rarely reaches the red level.
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.
Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders...
(FEMA) to determine the impact of a storm and the likely scale of assistance required for disaster recovery. The measure is based on the reputation of the Waffle House
Waffle House
Waffle House is a restaurant chain with over 1600 locations found in 25 states in the United States. Most of the locations are in the Southern United States, where the chain remains a regional cultural icon...
restaurant chain for staying open during extreme weather and for reopening quickly, albeit sometimes with a limited menu, after very severe weather events such as tornado
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
s or hurricanes. The term was coined by FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate
Craig Fugate
William Craig Fugate was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2009 to be the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He had been the Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management. He was appointed director by Gov. Jeb Bush in 2001 and later re-appointed by Gov...
in May 2011, following the Joplin tornado
2011 Joplin tornado
The 2011 Joplin tornado was a devastating EF5 multiple-vortex tornado that struck Joplin, Missouri, USA late in the afternoon of Sunday, May 22, 2011. It was part of a larger late-May tornado outbreak sequence and reached a maximum width of in excess of during its path through the southern part of...
; the two Waffle House restaurants in Joplin remained open after the EF5
Enhanced Fujita Scale
The Enhanced Fujita Scale rates the strength of tornadoes in the United States based on the damage they cause.Implemented in place of the Fujita scale introduced in 1971 by Ted Fujita, it began operational use on February 1, 2007. The scale has the same basic design as the original Fujita scale:...
multiple-vortex tornado struck the city on May 22. According to Fugate, "If you get there and the Waffle House is closed? That’s really bad. That’s where you go to work."
The Index has three levels, based on the extent of operations and service at the restaurant following a storm:
- Green: the restaurant is serving a full menu, indicating the restaurant has power and damage is limited.
- Yellow: the restaurant is serving a limited menu, indicating there may be no power or only power from a generator or food supplies may be low.
- Red: the restaurant is closed, indicating severe damage.
Professor Panos Kouvelis of Olin Business School says Waffle House, along with other chains, such as Home Depot, Walmart and Lowe's
Lowe's
Lowe's Companies, Inc. is a U.S.-based chain of retail home improvement and appliance stores. Founded in 1946 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, the chain now serves more than 14 million customers a week in its 1,710 stores in the United States and 20 in Canada. Expansion into Canada began in...
, which do a significant proportion of their business in the southern US where there is a frequent risk of hurricanes, demonstrates the benefit of good risk management
Risk management
Risk management is the identification, assessment, and prioritization of risks followed by coordinated and economical application of resources to minimize, monitor, and control the probability and/or impact of unfortunate events or to maximize the realization of opportunities...
and disaster preparedness. Because the restaurants have a disaster plan and a cut-down menu pre-prepared for times when there is no power or limited supplies, the Waffle House Index rarely reaches the red level.
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.