Waffle House posted a map showing locations of their closed restaurants in Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton’s arrival.
As of 5 p.m. ET Tuesday, the National Hurricane Center said Milton strengthened back to a Category 5 storm after being downgraded to a 4. Milton has sustained winds of 165 mph and the latest update shows an overnight landfall time of around 1 a.m. Thursday, near Tampa Bay.
Waffle House posted an updated map at 3:30 p.m. ET showing the restaurants that are closed, have limited service or are operating 24 hours with a full menu. The restaurant chain added, “**Due to the potential for variations in Milton’s path, this information is subject to change without notice. Please follow local guidance.”
Evacuation orders have been issued for dozens of Florida counties ahead of Milton making landfall. Mandatory evacuation orders are in place up and down the state’s western coast, from Levy County south to Collier County.
Schools and universities have also closed throughout the Sunshine State to prepare for Milton. Several emergency shelters have been opened in counties where evacuation orders are in place for residents unable to travel out of the area.
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has taken steps to prepare roadways and assist evacuation efforts. Governor Ron DeSantis also ordered that tolls across central and west Florida be suspended.
FDOT has also implemented Emergency Shoulder Use on Interstates 4 and 75 to “help facilitate the flow of traffic for travelers evacuating the storm’s potential impact area,” according to a release from the agency on Monday.
A spokesperson for Waffle House told Newsweek via email on Tuesday that the company’s “mission remains to keep our Associates out of harm’s way.”
“Accordingly, in areas predicted to be hardest hit, we will preemptively close restaurants with a goal of reopening them as soon as it is safe to do so to serve the communities that have been there for us over the years,” the spokesperson said, adding that the company “will follow local evacuation orders.”
Politicians and local leaders have also urged residents to heed evacuation orders before Milton strikes. Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said on Monday during an appearance on CNN that residents who believe they can “ride out” the storm are making a fatal mistake.
“There’s never been one like this,” Castor said. “Helene was a wake-up call, this is literally catastrophic. And I can say without any dramatization whatsoever: If you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you’re gonna die.”
President Joe Biden said Tuesday morning that Milton “could be the worst storm to hit Florida in over a century, and God willing it won’t be, but it’s looking like that right now.”
“If you are under an evacuation order, you should evacuate now,” Biden added. “You should have already evacuated. It’s a matter of life and death, and that’s not a hyperbole.”
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