Florence wreaks havoc in North and South Carolina

“Rude Awakening index”

Some officials rely on the “Waffle House index” to determine how serious a storm is. If the Waffle House is closed, the storm is really, really bad. In Fayetteville, North Carolina, it’s the “Rude Awakening index.”

Bruce Arnold owns the downtown coffee shop by that name that has been in business in the city for 20 years.

Arnold said the shop only shuts down if it loses power, which it did in 2016 during Hurricane Matthew.

But as of Sunday afternoon, the shop still had its lights on and was open for business — even as others nearby were boarded up and had sandbags piled in front of their doors.

Meanwhile, long lines were forming at gas stations Sunday as a persistent rain fell. Many of the city’s stations are out of fuel. Debbie Randolph says she and her husband called one station that said they had 5,000 gallons — and 60 people waiting to fill up.

David Goldman / AP