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House of the Week – 10/7/22

No detail was overlooked in the design of this magnificent modern barn style home. Built in 2019 and situated on 3.56 acres this fabulous property has so much to offer…and just wait until you see the laundry room! Featuring an open concept family room, dining area and gourmet kitchen with a soaring cathedral ceiling, wooden beams and shiplap walls, you’ll feel like you stepped inside the pages of a magazine. Flooded in natural light, the custom kitchen boasts an oversized island, stainless steel appliances including a gas cooktop and double wall oven, gorgeous granite counters, shaker style cabinetry and 2 pantries. The spacious porch is ideal for relaxing and taking in the peaceful setting and views, or unwinding in the family room by the gas fireplace on those chilly fall and winter evenings. Offering a split bedroom floor plan, the primary suite includes a luxurious attached bath with dual sinks, marble counters, a walk-in tile shower and a claw foot tub as well as an expansive walk-in closet with custom built-in storage. All the bedrooms feature lush wall to wall carpeting and ample closet space, while the bathrooms feature heated tile flooring. Plenty of storage space awaits in the sprawling unfinished basement and oversized attached garage. Move-in ready, this picture perfect property is sure to make its new owner very happy for years to come!
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MUNDANE MYSTERIES: What Is “The Waffle House Index”?

On Wednesday (Sept. 28), Hurricane Ian pounded Florida’s western coast. Streets flooded…houses were swept away…Waffle Houses closed. But why do Waffle Houses matter amidst all of this? Well, because of “The Waffle House Index”! What is “The Waffle House Index”? I’m glad you asked!

FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, has loads of tools & assets it uses to assess & deal with natural disasters. Its meteorologists forecast storm movements, wind speeds, precipitation, etc., then federal resources get deployed to the most affected areas. But when FEMA needs accurate, ground-level gauging of how a community’s coping in a crisis, they look to Waffle House (and have been since 2004).

Yes, Waffle House…that bastion of casual dining that’s almost always open 24/7/365. FEMA monitors Waffle House’s locations to see which ones might be closing or possibly dealing with limited supplies due to severe weather. And this system actually works, because it lets FEMA know if affected areas are currently hurting or if they’re getting back to normal.

The thought process is: if a disaster forces a Waffle House to close, then that disaster must be bad. So, FEMA classifies that level as “red”. If Waffle Houses in an affected area are open but with limited menus, then that’s the “yellow” level. And “green” means everything’s good. Nothing to see or worry about.

Being able to order your scattered, smothered, covered, topped, chunked, and capped hash browns is an important data point for FEMA. Because if a Waffle House is having trouble getting stock, then that means transportation’s likely been interrupted. If the menu’s limited, then it’s likely some utilities are available but not all. Or if a Waffle House locks its doors, then really bad weather’s taken over (Waffle House would usually stay open, if possible, to serve 1st responders).

Oh, and storms aren’t the only reason Waffle House might close. Remember March of 2020? That was when the Waffle House Index rose to red as locations across the country shuttered in the early stages of the pandemic. But for us here now, as what’s left of Ian makes its way through our neck of the woods, maybe tonight would be a good night to make a Waffle House run & try some Burt’s chili!

Hungry for a solved Mundane Mystery of your own? Order one up by sending me a message via Twitter (@AndyWebbRadio), or by shooting me an email ([email protected]).

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