Waffle House is known for staying open during some of the worst natural disasters, but Hurricane Michael managed to shut down 30 restaurants as of Wednesday evening.
Waffle House spokesman Pat Warner told USA TODAY that the closed restaurants were spread across two states, with 22 being closed in Florida and 8 in Georgia.
Warner said he doesn't expect them to be closed for too long.
"We will be there right after the storm to re-open," he said.
One location in Panama City Beach, Florida, had what appeared to be a handwritten "closed" sign taped to its door Tuesday evening.
“I don’t know if I’ve seen that in my entire life,” said Ryan Kruger, a reporter for Atlanta television station WXIA.
Michael smashed into the Florida Panhandle on Wednesday as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph at landfall — just two miles shy of a Category 5.
Hurricane Michael: New information on landfall times, path, storm surge, more
View from above: This is what Hurricane Michael looks like from space
Other restaurants in the path of the storm are stocking up on food today, Warner said. The Waffle House Storm Center, a team that mobilizes during extreme weather, has been monitoring the storm's path since Monday, and Warner said he anticipates more closures when the storm makes landfall.
Waffle House restaurants rarely close, often providing food and resources to first responders during natural disasters.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency even monitors a "Waffle House Index," a color-coded indicator of what restaurants are open, closed or offering a limited menu, to gauge how well an area will recover from a hurricane, tornado or other hazard.
"The Waffle House test just doesn't tell us how quickly a business might rebound — it also tells how the larger community is faring," a FEMA blog post from 2011 states. "The sooner restaurants, grocery and corner stores or banks can reopen, the sooner local economies will start generating revenue again — signaling a strong recovery for that community."
Sean Rossman, Joel Shannon and Susan Miller contributed to this story. Follow Ashley May on Twitter: @AshleyMayTweets.
Waffle House is known for staying open during some of the worst natural disasters, but Hurricane Michael managed to shut down 30 restaurants as of Wednesday evening.
Waffle House spokesman Pat Warner told USA TODAY that the closed restaurants were spread across two states, with 22 being closed in Florida and 8 in Georgia.
Warner said he doesn't expect them to be closed for too long.
"We will be there right after the storm to re-open," he said.
One location in Panama City Beach, Florida, had what appeared to be a handwritten "closed" sign taped to its door Tuesday evening.
“I don’t know if I’ve seen that in my entire life,” said Ryan Kruger, a reporter for Atlanta television station WXIA.
Michael smashed into the Florida Panhandle on Wednesday as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph at landfall — just two miles shy of a Category 5.
Hurricane Michael: New information on landfall times, path, storm surge, more
View from above: This is what Hurricane Michael looks like from space
Other restaurants in the path of the storm are stocking up on food today, Warner said. The Waffle House Storm Center, a team that mobilizes during extreme weather, has been monitoring the storm's path since Monday, and Warner said he anticipates more closures when the storm makes landfall.
Waffle House restaurants rarely close, often providing food and resources to first responders during natural disasters.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency even monitors a "Waffle House Index," a color-coded indicator of what restaurants are open, closed or offering a limited menu, to gauge how well an area will recover from a hurricane, tornado or other hazard.
"The Waffle House test just doesn't tell us how quickly a business might rebound — it also tells how the larger community is faring," a FEMA blog post from 2011 states. "The sooner restaurants, grocery and corner stores or banks can reopen, the sooner local economies will start generating revenue again — signaling a strong recovery for that community."
Sean Rossman, Joel Shannon and Susan Miller contributed to this story. Follow Ashley May on Twitter: @AshleyMayTweets.
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