Waffle House Storm Center is real and it’s awesome

Waffle House activates its Storm Center as Hurricane Milton nears, temporarily closing Tampa and Fort Myers locations.

As Hurricane Milton approaches, Waffle House has activated its Storm Center to support communities during the anticipated disaster.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) issued a warning on October 9, regarding Hurricane Milton, predicting it to be a life-threatening event for Florida’s coast and potentially impacting Tampa.

The Waffle House Storm Center, established for disaster response, coordinates the chain’s operations during severe weather events. According to Forbes, the center collaborates with FEMA to ensure service continuity. Waffle House uses a color-coded matrix, the "Waffle House Index," to help assess storm severity and local conditions, guiding FEMA’s response.

Waffle House has a Storm Center with an entire operations team that is so good at their job they assist FEMA during hurricanes.

The European mind cannot comprehend this pic.twitter.com/Wfmw5hPzzC

— Alex Cohen (@anothercohen) October 9, 2024

FEMA began informally using the index in 2011 after witnessing Waffle House's resilience during a tornado in Joplin, Missouri, when two locations remained open despite the disaster. FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate has praised Waffle House's commitment to remaining operational during crises by using generators and bottled water to serve basic menu items.

Today I had the opportunity to visit the @WaffleHouse Storm Center as we continue to recover from Hurricane Helene and prepare for Hurricane Milton. Thank you to the Waffle House Operations Team for your great work to prepare and inform the public during times like this. pic.twitter.com/gIBA3onKcl

— Governor Brian P. Kemp (@GovKemp) October 8, 2024

Waffle House, known for staying open during emergencies, is prepared to serve affected communities. However, in a post on X, formerly Twitter, the chain announced the closure of some locations in Tampa and Fort Myers—two areas likely to be heavily impacted by the storm. According to the post, 25 restaurants in Tampa and eight in Fort Myers were set to close, though others remained open in both areas.

Our #whindex status maps reflect our closures as of 2pm today in advance of #HurricaneMilton. More updates to come. Please stay safe.

**Due to the potential for variations in Milton's path, this information is subject to change without notice. Please follow local guidance. pic.twitter.com/AWig09L8bP

— Waffle House (@WaffleHouse) October 8, 2024

As Hurricane Milton intensifies into a Category 5 storm with wind speeds reaching 200 mph, Waffle House remains on high alert, continuing to monitor the situation and support communities, even as it temporarily closes some locations due to the storm’s severity.