Has Hurricane Helene met the Waffle House Index in Georgia yet? Here’s how that’s decided

As Hurricane Helene barrels towards Florida and Georgia, many agencies and organizations are preparing and warning residents about the dangerous conditions.

There’s the National Weather Service. There’s the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency. There’s the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Some on social media even like to find out where The Weather Channel’s storm chaser Jim Cantore is going to be in a storm.

But southerners know the “Waffle House Index” will best determine the seriousness of severe weather.

With Hurricane Helene making its way to Georgia, the only closed Waffle House locations as of midday Thursday are those in evacuation areas, a Waffle House spokesperson said.

Waffle House operates more than 1,900 locations across 25 states and is known for always being open, even when severe weather hits. During times of extreme weather, Waffle House uses a fairly simple index to decide if any certain location should stay open, reduce its menu options, or close entirely:

• “Green” means the restaurant is serving a full menu indicating damage in an area is limited and the lights are on.

• “Yellow” means there’s a limited menu, which means the restaurant is likely using power from a generator and has low food supplies

• “Red” means the restaurant is closed, indicating severe damage in the area or unsafe conditions

Other than restaurants in areas under mandatory evacuation, decisions are still being made about whether more Waffle House restaurants will close, the company said.

“We continue to watch the storm and finalize plans and resources,” said the Waffle House spokesperson.

A “War Room” has been activated where Waffle House leadership will monitor the storm using resources like a storm map, local weather forecasts and CCTV. The War Room also relies on management teams in the different markets across the southeast to keep them up-to-date on ongoing conditions.

The decision to close can be very fluid, said the spokesperson. A location could potentially close at 9 p.m. and reopen 12 hours later at 9 a.m.

“Our priority is the safety of everyone,” said the spokesperson. “So, if a restaurant is closed to, bear with us. We’ll get it reopened as soon as it’s safely possible to do so.”

This story was originally published September 26, 2024 at 1:02 PM.

Brittany McGee

Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

Brittany McGee is the community issues reporter for the Ledger-Enquirer. She is a 2021 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Media and Journalism with a second degree in Economics. She began at the Ledger-Enquirer as a Report for America corps member covering the COVID-19 recovery in Columbus. Brittany also covered business for the Ledger-Enquirer.