April 24, 2024 US university protests

Table Of Content

• Negotiations at Columbia University unstable, organizers say
• Hay Fever Alert As Allergist Warns of 'Pollen Storm'
• Hours-long police standoff with kidnapping suspect …
• Waffle House index: 5 locations shuttered as Hurricane Idalia slams Florida
• Primary Menu
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• After a hurricane, the 24/7 restaurant provides one measure of how infrastructure and supply chains are holding up.

The federal government uses many different methods to determine how severe a storm might be, some like Doppler radar from the National Weather Service are incredibly sophisticated. "In many cases, the Waffle Houses were one of those indicators." But the birth of the unusual storm indicator was not on purpose. Former FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate is the man behind the infamous Waffle House Index. He spoke to Newsweek on Thursday to tell the story of how a morning ritual and a casual observation turned into a nationwide indicator used by the government and millions of people to assess storm damage. One thing that shouldn’t be discounted is the support of sports teams, also part of the private sector—and important partners for us.

Negotiations at Columbia University unstable, organizers say

"The sooner restaurants, grocery and corner stores, or banks can re-open, the sooner local economies will start generating revenue again — signaling a strong recovery for that community." 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. In May, the two Waffle Houses in Joplin, Mo., were among the few places to stay open after the deadliest tornado in six decades tore through the area.

Hay Fever Alert As Allergist Warns of 'Pollen Storm'

State officials and meteorologists joined Fugate to inspect the damage-stricken region in the days after Charley. 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. 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. Of 200 restaurants that ended up in the storm’s path, just one, in inland North Carolina, gleamed red, for “still affected”; it had been flooded and needed cleaning out.

Hours-long police standoff with kidnapping suspect …

‘I don’t think it’s too much’: Waffle House workers push for $25 an hour - The Guardian US

‘I don’t think it’s too much’: Waffle House workers push for $25 an hour.

Posted: Mon, 16 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

The company claims getting back to business restores a sense of normalcy in affected areas. Before a storm hits, the store brings in extra supplies and has managers on standby to help. Most of the 1,900 Waffle Houses are located in the southeast United States, meaning the company is used to battling big storms. There are a lot of ways the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assesses and addresses the severity of a natural disaster. Meteorology can predict movement patterns, wind gusts, and precipitation.

How sausages, eggs and waffles help American officials understand hurricane damage

In a recent academic paper, Panos Kouvelis, a business-school professor at Washington University in St. Louis, pegged Waffle House as one of the top four companies for disaster response, with Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Home Depot Inc. and Lowe’s Cos. Senior executives developed a manual for opening after a disaster, bulked up on portable generators, bought a mobile command center and gave employees key fobs with emergency contacts. “I hadn’t had a hot meal in two days, and I knew they’d be open,” said Nicole Gainey, a 22-year-old secretary for a truck-repair company who drove over for breakfast.

Waffle House index: 5 locations shuttered as Hurricane Idalia slams Florida

But the Waffle House, which spends almost nothing on advertising, has built a marketing strategy around the goodwill gained from being open when customers are most desperate. The driving factor behind the Waffle House Index is the restaurant’s philosophy to stay open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Waffle House has become a place for residents and first responders to often receive their first meal after a natural disaster, offering a fleeting moment of normalcy for those severely impacted. As those in Hurricane Florence's path begin to recover, the yellow glow of their local Waffle House could likely provide assurance there's a hot meal waiting for them just around the corner. So, Fugate and his crew drove south along the interstate until they came across a Waffle House that was open for business.

Coronavirus is a Waffle House 'Index Red': Restaurant chain shutters 418 stores - NBC News

Coronavirus is a Waffle House 'Index Red': Restaurant chain shutters 418 stores.

Posted: Wed, 25 Mar 2020 07:00:00 GMT [source]

A photographer was among those arrested during clashes between protesters and law enforcement on the University of Texas at Austin campus on Wednesday. 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." But preparation is a complicated endeavor in an economy where few things are sold in the places where they were made.

WTSP would like to send you push notifications about the latest news and weather.

After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and the surrounding area in 2005, Waffle House moved fast to bolster its post-disaster plans. Its hurricane playbook explains how to reopen a restaurant, what to serve if there is gas but no electricity, or a generator but no ice. Limiting the menu helps the company’s suppliers focus on keeping certain items stocked and chilled or frozen, depending on the conditions in the area. The storm team examines what worked and didn’t after every disaster, each time learning new lessons.

The local Waffle House was still open, and it's where Fugate and his crew headed to breakfast. The restaurant had found a way around the water pressure issue to remain open, unlike the various other businesses in the area. 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.

First, as the storm made landfall, some locations of Waffle House — which boasts that every restaurant stays open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year — would probably have to close because of power loss or concerns for workers’ safety. And second, sometime after they did, someone would invoke the “Waffle House Index,” the slightly flippant measure of how bad a storm can get. "These companies have many stores in the southern part of the United States that are frequently exposed to hurricanes," Kouvelis says. For example, if a Waffle House store is open and offering a full menu, the index is green. Because Waffle House is well prepared for disasters, Kouvelis said, it’s rare for the index to hit red. For example, the Joplin, Mo., Waffle House survived the tornado and remained open.

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. "We know how important it is for a community to start the recovery process as quickly as possible," Boss says. "The fact that the index is being used, we're proud that our name is attached to it." "Go down to the Waffle House, they're making coffee by pouring water in the coffee maker out of bottles of water. It kind of shows you the different philosophies," Fugate said.

"It is indeed marvelous. An irony-free zone where everything is beautiful and nothing hurts," Bourdain once said. The little things make differences now more than ever, as people look to put their lives back together after two separate catastrophic hurricanes. It’s more than just a cup of coffee, it’s more than just a Waffle House. It’s a little piece of normal—which can make all the difference. If you’re looking more for the getting-your-hands-dirty route, there are also options to volunteer with any of the organizations mentioned earlier—or even your own local food bank or pantry if you can’t travel. Many local groups have been putting together fundraisers or drives to help organizations making a difference in disaster-affected communities and working with the chapters on the ground to get exactly what is needed to the people in need.