What is the Waffle House Index and what’s the Hurricane Milton update for it? Here’s the answer.

If you’re looking around for something called the Waffle House index during hurricanes that hit the United States, we’re here to help.

And yes, it has to do with THAT Waffle House. The one that serves breakfast foods including, of course, waffles.

Here’s the story: Back in 2004, former FEMA administrator Craig Fugate came up with a system based on how open Waffle Houses were in the United States after a storm, because Waffle House locations had a remarkable ability to stay open even in the face of weather disasters

Green means Waffle Houses are operational, Yellow means they’re open but with a limited menu and red means closed. And given that information, officials and responders know when to go based on that index, because when Waffle Houses are closed, that means the storm is or was REALLY bad.

There you have it. For Hurricane Milton, here’s the update from Waffle House:

These updated #whindex status maps reflect our closures as of 2PM this afternoon in advance of #HurricaneMilton. 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/vqV3RO5KT4

— Waffle House (@WaffleHouse) October 9, 2024