A Waffle House restaurant in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
As more and more Southwest Florida residents are part of the Hurricane Milton evacuations, one ominous sign has occurred. The Waffle House near the Cape Coral bridge on Del Prado is CLOSED! The Waffle House Index does not bode well for Cape Coral.
It's common lore for those of us that live in areas frequented by hurricanes that when the Waffle House closes, it's time to really take this situation seriously. That Waffle House location is in Zone A for mandatory evacuations but the store manager wasted no time and closed the store on Monday night in anticipation of the hurricane. If you're hungry, there's no time to waste, Publix is closing their doors today at 3.
Hurricane Milton Evacuations
Zones A & B in Collier County are under mandatory evacuation. This is primarily the coastal areas of Collier County, but also areas along East Trail that are prone to flooding.
Zones A & B in Lee County have been notified to evacuate by Tuesday evening. That includes more than just areas along the coast. Check this map if you're not sure.
Charlotte County, which is much closer to the storm's projected path, is currently under a storm surge warning 
They have ordered evacuations for the Red & Orange Zones, also know as Zones A and B. The storm surge is forecasted to be worse than what we experienced in Hurricane Helene. You need to evacuate now.
if your Hurricane Milton evacuations plans include air travel, here's the update from RSW: Most airlines are planning to operate Tuesday, October 8th. No commercial flights will be operating on Wednesday, October 9th and Thursday, October 10th.
Hurricane Milton
If you're in one of the evacuation zones, you should leave. It's been raining since Friday and there's already so much standing water in Southwest Florida. It's raining right now and it's going to keep raining all the way through the arrival of the storm. Hurricane Milton evacuations notices were issued for very good reasons, we're looking at some very serious flooding even before you include the surge that's coming.
When Waffle House closes, it's serious. Visit our Hurricane Central page for additional information.
