How a waffle restaurant helps emergency services know how bad a storm is

The humble southern breakfast chain is a big asset for disaster relief (Picture: Getty)

Waffle House, a 24-hour, 365-day-a-year breakfast chain, was once described by Anthony Bourdain as an ‘always faithful’ beacon of safety.

Most of the 1,700 Waffle House locations are dotted in the south and along the East Coast, and have generators and backup systems in case of emergency.

So if the humble, steadfast Waffle House is closed during a hurricane or snowstorm, FEMA knows the situation is bad.