Are fall hurricanes becoming a trend in the Northeast? It sure seems so after the damage of Irene in 2011 and the destruction, devastation, and complete disaster of Sandy in 2012. With the impact Irene had on the tri-state area last year, the Mr. John and Russell Reid companies did not take the media advisories lightly. The company believed this storm was going to be more severe, which meant their response to storm related requests for portable toilets and wastewater services would be even more demanding.
As Hurricane Sandy quickly approached the Northeast gaining momentum, the company began planning and preparing for any and all emergency calls. Some of the preparation included checking inventory of portable restrooms and portable showers in anticipation of emergency deliveries, gathering fuel for standby generators and setting up temporary power distributions. They checked the computer backup systems to make sure nothing would be lost, set up a call chain for cell phones, and confirmed e-mail addresses. Lastly, the company preloaded all of their portable toilet delivery trailers with clean and ready to go portable toilets in anticipation of responding to calls for emergency relief services.
On Sunday, October 28th, the tri-state area slowly began to shut down. All mass transit stopped running after 7PM and all major bridges, tunnels, and highways were closed due to risks of high winds until further notice. As the fear of the storm grew, offices, shopping centers, local stores, and gas stations began closing for the night and following day as well. The Mr. John and Russell Reid Company closed all their offices on Monday, October 29th for the safety of their workers. Little did they know, the heart of the storm had yet to hit the tri-state area. Monday night people began losing power, trees were falling down, massive flooding was occurring, and all the sewage lines were beginning to back up. At this point, the response for both the Mr. John and Russell Reid Company’s was very important. Luckily, they had a plan of action and were ready to perform in order to provide temporary restrooms and wastewater pumping services.
Tuesday morning was a difficult time for many people, including the workers of the Mr. John and Russell Reid Companies.The electricity in all the offices was out, and emergency calls for portable toilets and waste removal services started to come in. Fortunately, the company was very prepared and ready to respond. As some people were unable to get to work due to damage from the storm, those who made it rose to the occasion. The field service technicians worked hard to fulfill storm related requests despite the dreadful circumstances. The determination and dedication to serving their customers, especially in times of an emergency, is a testament to the quality of work the Mr. John and Russell Reid Companies provide.
Some of the emergency calls the Mr. John and Russell Reid Company received included working closely with the Port Authority to remove storm water from the Holland Tunnel. This required working through the night and weekend to pump all excess water in order to reopen the tunnel to the public. Russell Reid also helped industrial waste water users to manage their output while sewer treatment plants were off line. They were also cleaning storm and sanitary sewer systems to allow normal flows. In addition, the extreme flooding that occurred all over the coast line created a huge demand for cleaning out catch basins and storm drains. Everything was backed up due to the massive amount of sand in the streets. There were also hundreds of temporary restrooms delivered throughoutNew Jersey and NY in response to power outages, destroyed homes, and lack of running water.
Hurricane Sandy has had a huge impact on the tri-state area, especially hard hit areas near the shorelines.Most people were without power for days, but others have lost homes, belongings, pets, cars, etc. The Mr. John and Russell Reid Companies are pleased to have been able to respond to the emergency calls and continue to provide portable toilet and waste related services as the area attempts to get back to normal. Thanks to the hard-working, dedicated staff that was able and willing to respond to customers’ needs regardless of the challenges and issues that rose due to the effects of Hurricane Sandy. The effective plan of emergency action has allowed the company to once again provide quality services in times of crisis.
