Hacker NewsOct 9, 2024
How Waffle House helps Southerners and FEMA judge a storm's severity
https://apnews.com/article/waffle-house-index-hurricane-milton-e0547ca1fb11ddcadab50035a0da7819
#ycombinator #Hurricanes_and_typhoons #Natural_disasters #General_news #NC_State_Wire #SC_State_Wire #GA_State_Wire #TN_State_Wire #MO_State_Wire #FL_State_Wire #Trending_News #Business #Oddities #Climate_and_environment #Hospitality_and_leisure_industry #U_S_news #Climate
Waffle House Index helps Southerners and FEMA judge a hurricane's severity

For some residents of storm-prone Southeastern states, the best indicator of a hurricane's severity can be found at the local Waffle House. If the Georgia-based restaurant chain stays open in town, neighbors are reassured that the coming storm is unlikely to cause devastation. A closed location of the dependable diner chain has come to indicate impending disaster. What might sound like silly logic has become one of the most reliable ways for Southerners and even federal officials to gauge a storm’s severity and identify communities most in need of immediate aid. The Waffle House Index was created by a federal emergency management official and is still used today.

AP News
 Hacker NewsApr 23, 2024
Work begins on a $12B high-speed rail line between Las Vegas and Los Angeles
https://apnews.com/article/high-speed-train-vegas-los-angeles-brightline-595913ff2fa3d9001fb89bfab4e6c4d2
#ycombinator #Los_Angeles #California #Las_Vegas #Miami #Pete_Buttigieg #General_news #IL_State_Wire #GA_State_Wire #MA_State_Wire #TX_State_Wire #DC_Wire #FL_State_Wire #CA_State_Wire #NC_State_Wire #Travel #MO_State_Wire #NV_State_Wire #Transportation #U_S_news #Business #Arts_and_entertainment #Entertainment
Construction to begin on high-speed rail between Las Vegas and Los Angeles

A $12 billion high-speed passenger train line between Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area has started construction. U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg joined Brightline West company officials on Monday to hammer commemorative yellow rail spikes at the site of terminal due to open in 2028 just south of the Las Vegas Strip. The company plans to build track in the median of Interstate 15 to a Rancho Cucamonga, California, commuter rail hub connection to Los Angeles. Trains would whisk past at speeds comparable to Japan's bullet trains. A Brightline sister company operates a train about two-thirds that fast between Miami and Orlando.

AP News