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- It's Time to Act Against Antisemitic Behavior on Campus
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- How sausages, eggs and waffles help American officials understand hurricane damage
- Columbia University Board of Trustees voices support for embattled president
- What is Hurricane Idalia's Waffle House index?
- The 'Waffle House Index' is an unofficial gauge for hurricane impact. Here's what it is

After stocking up on water, boarding up windows and charging electronics, the three knew the perfect spot to grab a bite. On Aug. 29, just hours before Hurricane Idalia was predicted to strike Florida’s Gulf Coast, several Gainesville residents enjoyed plates of hot breakfast cuisine after preparing for the impending storm. First, they determine whether it is safe to operate by evaluating the information they receive from the state, local municipalities, federal agencies and weather information.
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The plywood needed to protect windows from storm debris might have been manufactured in China, and a storm in the Gulf of Mexico can force enough interruption on petroleum refining to choke off supply on the other side of the country. "We do have closures in mandatory evacuation zones and locations within low-lying areas that are subject to severe flooding," Waffle House Vice President of Public Relations Njeri Boss told USA TODAY last year. Yes, the government really does use the Waffle House Index, though not necessarily in an official capacity. Fugate has stated publicly that the Waffle House Index has been used internally at FEMA to help the agency determine which areas need more disaster relief services. The Waffle House Index can indicate how quickly a community is going to recover after a hurricane. When news that a hurricane impacting the U.S. is imminent, a small team of Waffle House employees is already gearing up preparations at its headquarters just outside Atlanta.
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It's Time to Act Against Antisemitic Behavior on Campus
The iconic black-and-yellow Waffle House sign is visible on roads and highways all across the South to welcome diners 24/7. But severe weather can cause restaurants to limit service or close altogether, and this can be an indicator of how much damage a storm has caused. TAMPA, Fla. - More than 20 Waffle House restaurants from Bradenton to Naples are closed as severe weather from Hurricane Ian comes through. The storm made landfall just north of Fort Myers Wednesday afternoon.
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As of midday Wednesday, 15 Waffle House locations were without power – but some were in the yellow zone of the index, because they were open and operating with generators, a representative for the chain told CBS News via email. At least five locations were in the red zone of the index, because they were in the direct path of Idalia after it made landfall. The index is green when the local Waffle House is open and serving its full menu; yellow when it's open, but serving a limited menu; and red when it's closed. Those levels then indicate the extent to which a community has power and water. The Waffle House chain does a significant amount of its business in the South, where a frequent amount of hurricanes can take place. The company says it has good risk management and disaster preparedness as a result.
CT, 34 arrests have been made by law enforcement on the UT Austin campus, according to an X post from the Texas Department of Public Safety. The board said it is "urgently working" with Shafik to resolve the unrest on campus and "rebuild the bonds of our community." In an evening update, the Texas Department of Public Safety said that 34 arrests had been made by law enforcement on the campus as of 9 p.m. The university "supports free speech through open dialogue that is respectful and constructive," the officials said.
It is an indicator of how complex and long supply chains are — for food, for fuel, for power — and of what it takes to plan around infrastructure that can be fragile in unexpected ways. Its hurricane playbook explains how to reopen a restaurant and what to serve if there is gas but no electricity, or a generator but no ice. An important element is limiting the menu so the company's supply chain can focus on keeping certain items stocked and chilled or frozen.
What is Hurricane Idalia's Waffle House index?

If a Waffle House is having trouble getting stock, then transportation has been interrupted. If the menu is limited, then it’s possible they have some utilities but not others. If its locations have locked their doors, inclement weather has taken over. The chain’s locations would normally stay open even in severe conditions to help first responders.
Despite the storm knocking out power, a local Waffle House in Weldon stayed open – a beacon of hope for people like Gainey. If you’ve ever eaten smothered hash browns in a Waffle House while the apocalypse rages outside, you know what he’s talking about. After all, the diner — which has over 1,900 locations across the US — is known for its preparedness during natural disasters. “We think about, What are the timelines in which people have to be provided medications? ” Greg Burel, the stockpile’s director, told me. “Our primary stock is laid down in undisclosed locations around the country that give us access to large swaths of the population and that are accessible” by more than one type of transportation. At Waffle House headquarters in November, Stark and his colleagues on the chain’s storm team — Vice Presidents Pat Warner and Will Mizell and Communications Director Kelly Thrasher-Bruner, who handles social media in disasters — walked me through how they prepare.
The 'Waffle House Index' is an unofficial gauge for hurricane impact. Here's what it is
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For small towns, places like coffee shops and local restaurants are often the local hubs of activity. Just a cup of coffee, a bite to eat, or the chance to catch up with a neighbor can mean a lot to someone who may have lost everything. If a store like a Home Depot or a Lowe’s or your local hardware store can open, that means people can get the supplies they need in order to rebuild, to clean up the muck and progress along the path to recovery.
The Waffle House Index is looked at along with more formal measures of storm severity, such as the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Well, check your nearby Waffle House locations to see if they’re open. You can also see the number of closures across the nation by using this tracker. While most places across the U.S. joke that things are about to get serious when meteorologist Jim Cantore shows up, our sign in the South is when area Waffle Houses announce that they’re boarding up.
Resources are dispatched to areas hit hardest by torrential weather. When he was leaving the restaurant, Fugate and his team noticed several cars appeared to be parked at the Starbucks about a block away. But when they got closer, they realized the people weren't there for the coffee. "They were making coffee by pouring bottled water into the coffee maker, and they were serving breakfast with plastic plates and utensils because they couldn't wash anything," Fugate recalled. The assistance we’ve seen from people all over the private sector, as well as all over the world, has been astonishing to say the least. People have opened their homes and their hearts to their fellow Americans in ways that are nothing short of absolutely inspiring.
That’s why, after disasters like Harvey and Irma strike, companies work to offer as much support as they can. In 2022, because of the expected severity of Hurricane Ian, 35 Waffle Houses closed in Florida prior to the storm's arrival, an extremely rare event. Hurricane Ian eventually made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 155 miles per hour (249 km/h), peaking out over the Atlantic Ocean as a Category 5 hurricane. Work and classes will remain remote, and officials are considering keeping the campus closed for longer. The California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt campus will remain closed through the weekend as protesters, including "unidentified non-students," continue to occupy two buildings, school officials said in an update. House Speaker Mike Johnson called Wednesday for the resignation of the university’s president if she can't "bring order to this chaos."