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The measure is based on the reputation of the Waffle House restaurant chain for staying open during extreme weather and for reopening quickly.
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When mother nature strikes like -- -- And hurricanes.
All hands are on deck.
Local state and federal officials in Washington the Federal Emergency Management Agency has a tough challenge figuring out how to response.
And you might be surprised by how the agency does it.
The iconic.
24 -- -- Waffle House plays a pivotal role in how authorities determine the game plan if the Waffle House is open.
After the -- today.
Then that means there's power in their water if the Waffle House is closed.
Things are pretty bed.
Unofficially it's called the Waffle House index.
Holes restaurants and impacted areas to find out if they're open in serving up their menus staples like omelet and hash browns.
And you mean store has power and little to no damage -- limited menu means they are running on a generator.
And at the Waffle House is closed that's usually a sign things are pretty -- If we're able to get back opened things it might be bad but they're not horrible but if if we don't happen to be.
Able we do business than that must be a sign that the that the community -- -- really -- check.
-- uses the so called Waffle House index along with other more scientific methods.
But it's especially helpful here in the south where tornadoes and hurricanes -- in -- threat and -- waffle houses many locations.
Can help -- organized response teams like americorps.
-- learn from our long history and responding to disasters across the country from forest fires to hurricanes.
To tornadoes.
That the first few hours the first few days are very critical.
FEMA director Craig.
Few came up with a Waffle -- -- while working for the state of Florida and has expanded since joining the Obama administration to include other business like Wal-Mart Home Depot and lows after disasters go Waffle House also responds by doing what it does best.
Feeding hungry customers.
After many of the storms.
-- it's very often will hear.
For folks this is the first -- and a week in Jackson Mississippi I'm here attending Fox News.
