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Waffle House feeds community after Alabama tornado
A Waffle House in Fultondale, Alabama powered up the grill outdoors after a deadly tornado swept through the community. (Source: WBRC)
FULTONDALE, Ala. - Waffle House is known for always being open, and that’s a reputation the southern restaurant chain seems keen on protecting — with or without electricity.
An EF-3 tornado moved through the Birmingham area on Monday evening, killing one person and injuring at least 30 others. The Fultondale area was also left without power.
Even so, Waffle House didn’t let the lack of electricity stop them from feeding the community.
Along with Full Moon Bar-B-Que, Waffle House turned to a propane-fueled flattop grill and set up shop outdoors, WBRC reported.
The event was such a success, Waffle House ran out of hamburger buns. But a neighboring Arby’s saved the day by bringing over more supplies.
RELATED: Tornado rips through Alabama, killing 1 and causing 'significant damage'
Fultondale is located roughly 10 miles north of Birmingham and is home to about 9,000 people.
The twister left a trail of destruction that stunned even longtime residents used to Alabama’s violent weather.
In April 2011, Fultondale caught the tail end of an EF-4 tornado that infamously devastated Tuscaloosa. Sixty-five people were killed and 1,500 were hurt.
In Monday’s tornado, ninth-grader Elliott Hernandez, 14, was killed and several relatives were critically injured when their home collapsed, trapping them in the basement, Fultondale Police Chief D.P. Smith said.
Since 2011, Alabama’s 765 tornadoes are the fourth-most in the country, according to the Associated Press. Kansas (868), Mississippi (908) and Texas (1,193) each had more in that time span.
This story was reported from Atlanta. The Associated Press contributed to this report.