Panic And Memes Ensue Online As Waffle House Closes 21 Florida Stores Amid Hurricane Ian Landfall

When it comes to hurricanes, there's not much that actually makes most Floridians sweat. True FloGrown Floridians are used to the storms and often don't even bother putting up shutters for anything less than a Category 3, not to mention seldom evacuate. However, Hurricane Ian just triggered something that put true fear into many Floridians upon seeing the following words: Waffle House Is Closed.

For those unaware, the Waffle House Index is an unofficial FEMA indicator used to determine how bad a natural disaster is, and is also used by Floridians to determine if it's worth evacuating or not. The news of the Waffle House closures today created an immediate, sharp reaction by the southwest Florida community.

FLORIDA HURRICANE SCALE
cat 1- no birds
cat 2- rain
cat 3- publix hurricane cakes
cat 4- jim cantore is here
cat 5- waffle house closed

— rae (@racheld_salerno) September 27, 2022

UPDATE: @WaffleHouse just told me it now has 21 stores from Naples to Bradenton closed as Ian fastly approaches FL:https://t.co/ebDpN3ZlP2#HurricaneIan #Florida

— Natalie Neysa Alund (@nataliealund) September 28, 2022

@omgitswicks said it best! pic.twitter.com/3XJEi4GaUc

— Dwayne Wayne (@MokaleeMeech) September 28, 2022

HOLY SHIT EVERY WAFFLE HOUSE IS CLOSING BETWEEN TAMPA & ORLANDO 😭😭😭

— Liñdaerys Targaryeñ (@linluv5) September 27, 2022

According to the Waffle House Index, closure like this is only warranted when it's highly likely that the storm will make the Waffle House unable to operate, which is really saying something when they're built to withstand tornadoes and function without proper electricity or gas usage.

Early reports from cities affected by the storm are making this decision by Waffle House seem like a good one, with several videos posted before actual landfall showing streets completely flooded, cars underwater and Weather Channel officials (aka Jim 'Harbinger of Doom' Cantore) getting bullied by the winds.

Downtown Ft. Myers is flooding fast. pic.twitter.com/Hrg6TC2j6y

— Brian Entin (@BrianEntin) September 28, 2022

Naples Fire-Rescue Department posted a Facebook live of the flooding. pic.twitter.com/gq2J9MS3Co

— Lydia Nusbaum (@LydiaNusbaum) September 28, 2022

Jim Cantore got hit by a flying tree branch during hurricane report pic.twitter.com/ybONC3VR51

— Gifdsports (@gifdsports) September 28, 2022

The legend Jim Cantore in his natural habitat pic.twitter.com/1LGPIohGrK

— Wu-Tang Is For The Children (@WUTangKids) September 28, 2022