CHARLESTON, S.C. — You know things are getting serious when even Waffle House is making changes for the weather.
With Hurricane Dorian making its way up the Atlantic coast toward the Carolinas, one Waffle House in Charleston has already switched over to its limited emergency menu. Management at the Savannah Highway location said they're down to limited items and may be forced to close up if floodwaters and storm surge threaten the building.
Dorian is expected to bring 4-7 feet of storm surge to the Carolina coast and some areas may see up to 10 inches of rain. First Warn meteorologist Chris Mulcahy said the outer bands of Dorian arrived in Charleston around 9:45 a.m. and the rain is expected to last through Thursday. With multiple high tides, there could be substantial flooding once the storm rolls in.
As of 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Waffle House's menu was limited to staples like the All Star breakfast, eggs, waffles (of course) and a couple of different sandwiches.
During Hurricane Matthew, this particular location had water surrounding the building and it was up to the doors.
Mandatory evacuations are in effect up and down the Carolina coast as the region prepares for the storm.
The powerful storm was parked over the Bahamas for over 24 hours before starting to crawl toward the northwest. Dorian is expected to stay offshore as it moves along the Florida coast. The storm is "lashing the east coast of Florida," the National Hurricane Center said.
The storm is still packing sustained of 105 mph with higher gusts. According to the National Hurricane Center, hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles from the center, while tropical-storm-force winds extend about 175 miles from Dorian's center.