NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — When disasters strike, one of FEMA’s quickest clues about local conditions comes from an unexpected place: Waffle House. Henry Rothenberg explains how the “Waffle House Index” tracks whether locations are open, limited, or closed after storms.
Open restaurants signal manageable damage, limited service points to moderate impacts, and closures suggest severe destruction — turning a diner chain into a disaster gauge.
September 11, 2001 is a day most associate with terror and tragedy. Austin Pollack shares a story from that day about hope and persistence: the effort to save a little girl’s life – with an organ donation. The problem? The young patient was in Houston, and her life-saving liver here in Nashville. With the grounding of all civilian aircraft, how could it be done? “Nobody ever said this isn’t possible.”
- Rhori Johnston
