As Helene was declared to be an 'extremely dangerous' Category 4 hurricane on Thursday, Waffle House closed all Tallahassee locations and nearby Crawfordville location. The restaurant, which is known from staying open 24 hours, all seven days, has become a key indicator for storm watchers through the years. Meanwhile, the storm was 110 miles west of Tampa and 145 miles south of Tallahassee at 7 PM ET. It was moving northeast at 23 mph.
A Waffle House spokesperson confirmed all closures in a statement to USA TODAY. The media outlet cited a rep saing that executives spent Wednesday discussing the diners' location in Helene's path. The chain has more than 1,900 locations in 25 states.
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“We rely on weather forecasting, government advisories, and pre-planned safety practices to keep our teams out of harm's way. If mandatory evacuations have been called for, we follow them. So, at this time we continue to monitor the situation and will act accordingly,” the company told USA TODAY.
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Indicator of storm severity: Waffle House restaurants are known for staying open during disasters. If a Waffle House closes, it’s considered a sign that the situation is very serious.
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Reactions
Reacting to the Waffle House closing locations, one person tweeted: "I know it’s a silly way to gauge severe weather, but if the Waffle House closes, you know it’s serious!"
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"The Waffle House Hurricane Index is a real thing people!!" another one added on X, platform formerly known as Twitter.