In Case of Emergency, Seek a Waffle House

Wednesday, 13 July 2011 | by Pat's Picks

In case of emergency, head to your local Waffle House. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution says the chain has become a paradigm for disaster preparedness, in large part because of its booming business in the country’s hurricane alleys.  Apparently, Floridians employ the “Waffle House test” as a sort of barometer for weather conditions—if it’s open, the water and power are probably still on; if it’s shut, things are pretty serious. Experts also praised Lowe’s, Wal-Mart, and the Atlanta-based Home Depot for excelling in disaster preparedness.

Speaking of, remember all that tornado damage at a Lowe’s in Sanford, North Carolina earlier this year? Apparently, their emergency system was so good, the manager had time to get everybody into a secure area at the back of the store before this happened: