The index is based on Waffle House’s reputation for having good disaster preparedness and staying open during extreme weather or reopening quickly afterwards.
If you get there and the Waffle House is closed? That’s really bad…— Craig Fugate, Former Head of the FEMA
The index has three levels,
GREEN: full menu – Restaurant has power and damage is limited or no damage at all.
YELLOW: limited menu – No power or only power from a generator, or food supplies may be low.
RED: the restaurant is closed – Indicates severe damage or severe flooding.
The term was coined by FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate in May 2011, following the 2011 Joplin tornado, during which the two Waffle House restaurants in Joplin remained open.
The measure is based on the reputation of the restaurant chain Waffle House for staying open during extreme weather and for reopening quickly.
The chain’s disaster preparedness measures include assembling and training “Waffle House jump teams” to facilitate fast reopening after disasters.
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, have good risk management and disaster preparedness. Because of this, and the fact that a cut-down menu is prepared for times when there is no power or limited supplies, the Waffle House Index rarely reaches the red level.
The “Waffle House Index” and the “Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale” are used to indicate the intensity and long term effects of a storm.