How the ‘Waffle House Index’ is used to determine Hurricane Ian's severity

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FEMA uses 'Waffle House Index' to determine storm severity

Waffle House CEO Walt Ehmer reacts to the 'Waffle House index' and shares how his company is reacting to the aftermath of Hurricane Ian

Hurricane Ian hit the coast of Florida as a category 4 hurricane on Wednesday. 

With severe damage to many areas along the coast, Waffle House is doing the best it can to be a resource for people in need. 

Waffle House CEO Walt Ehmer joined "Fox & Friends" on Thursday morning from the south Tampa eatery to discuss the "Waffle House index" and what it means to each community. 

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The term was coined by former FEMA chief Craig Fugate, who noticed that Waffle House locations that were able to reopen quickly after storms became a sign of the level of damage done.

Waffle House CEO Walt Ehmer joined "Fox and Friends" on Thursday to discuss the "Waffle House Index," which is used to signify damage in areas after severe storms.  (Fox News)

"Somehow it took on a life of its own, and it’s something a lot of people ask us about this time of year," he said. 

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Here's a quick explanation:

A green sign means a restaurant received little to no damage, has full power and is still offering a full menu. 

A yellow sign means the location is running out of food, has limited power and can only offer a limited menu. 

A red sign, of course, means the location is completely closed and has suffered severe damage. 

The "Waffle House Index" is made up of three signs: green, yellow and red.  (Fox News)

This scale is currently used by FEMA and emergency responders to assess the damage of a storm in communities. 

Currently, more than 30 Waffle House locations in Florida are in the red zone. 

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Ehmer said the famous breakfast restaurant did everything it could to prepare, but still has locations with significant damage. 

"We closed everything that was in harm’s way before the storm," he said. 

"Now we are in the process of trying to access where we have power, where we can get people, how we can get people started."

Hurricane Ian made landfall as a category 4 hurricane — and the state of Florida has severe damage throughout.  (Fox News)

Ehmer said the company will be opening all the locations they can today, although some locations further south had more severe damage, such as broken windows and a loss of high-rise signs. 

Ehmer said the biggest challenge will be stores near Port Charlotte, Fort Myers, Punta Gorda and Naples. 

"As soon as I’m done with this, it’s back to the grill," he said.

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Ehmer said there was a parking lot full of people ready to eat on Thursday morning — and the Waffle House team was going to make sure they delivered a good meal to customers.