SANITATION SENTINEL
Portable restroom operators in many parts of Georgia have experienced the busiest September and October months in years following weeks of
extreme rain and destructive flooding throughout the state. Unusual amounts of rain began to fall on the 21st of September and some areas
received an unwelcome 20” or more of rainfall over the next several days. Severe flooding followed which destroyed over 2000 homes, power
lines, railroads and roads, and took the lives of at least 10 people. Douglas County was hit the hardest. President Barack Obama declared several
counties to be federal disaster areas which will bring some relief to the over $250 million of damage estimated. Vice President Biden also toured
the area by helicopter to observe the true extent of the damage and to assure Georgians that the government would help them rebuild.
This was a storm that caught everyone by surprise. Ironically the land had been plagued with drought for some time before these rains took
Georgians from one extreme to the next in only a few days. Pit Stop portable restroom company owners Jeff and Terri Wigley were as surprised
as everyone else when the calls for emergency units began coming in one after another.
“You see, this storm took everyone by surprise,” shared Jeff Wigley in an interview several weeks after the flooding. “Atlanta typically
doesn’t flood like this. Little streams on the side of the road that you would have never even noticed before were now engulfing the road! It was
literally pounding rain for several days. The first wave of calls came from emergency groups such as FEMA (Federal Emergency Management
Agency), GEMA (Georgia Emergency Management Agency), the Department of Transportation and the Fire Department.”
With thousands of people forced to abandon their homes, portable restrooms were required for the displaced victims of the flood and
emergency relief workers. Bridges and roads sustained severe damage which required bringing in workers to rebuild and sustain whatever
infrastructure remained.
“Then came the calls from individuals who sustained relatively minor damages such as flooded basements. That was the second wave,”
Wigley said. “Third were the call from the government personnel that were called in to inspect bridges, roads and railroads to determine where
reinforcements or rebuilding was needed. For example, a road may look like it is safe for vehicles at first glance but underneath the floods have
taken away the supporting soil. The fourth wave of calls came from churches and organizations holding charitable events, such as fundraisers, for
the victims of the flooding. So it goes from emergency to workers to infrastructure to charity.”
When natural disasters of this magnitude occur, government personnel will begin calling local portable restroom operators to order
immediate emergency units. Groups like GEMA will often contact the PSAI (Portable Sanitation Association International) for contact details of
local companies that might have units available. The PSAI will then provide a list of recommended PSAI members in that area.
“This is just another reason why it is beneficial to be a member of the PSAI,” Wigley advised. “In times of emergency, people are looking
for professional, high-quality companies who will provide a good service at a fair price. That is also why it is important that companies in this
industry understand the cost of doing business so that they can charge the appropriate amount for the job, especially in emergency situations.
People are calling in immediate orders for ten units that need to be serviced every day at various locations and the business owner needs to know
what he or she can and should charge. Otherwise the second disaster will be them losing their business because they’re not charging what they
should be.”
Activity in flood areas continues to be at a high level even weeks after the initial flooding took place. When the area was declared a federal
disaster, relief funds were opened up and Pit Stop began receiving more calls to supply units for the rebuilding jobs that were now given the green
light to move forward. Then there are special events being held around the state by religious organizations and others who are trying to raise
money to help the victims of the flood. The aftermath of such devastation can last for several months as bridges and railroads are repaired and
homes are rebuilt. Portable restroom companies are still busy meeting the increased demand.
“Everyone has had to put in extra hours,” Wigley stated. “We have learned to be lean and mean. This has been a terrible thing for the
people who have lost so much, but someone needs to provide them with this service. I look around at my employees and yes some have tired
looks on their faces, but there is also a sense of pride here knowing that what they are doing is really making a difference. They are providing a
service that is helping the flood victims and those trying to rebuild these counties.”
Emergency situations can bring out the best and the worst in companies and the individuals that run them. Emergency personnel have little time
to look for good prices or negotiate and are often left in a vulnerable situation having to trust portable restroom companies to give appropriate
pricing.
“In a disaster they call you and say they need ten units now and give you the address and hang up,” Wigley shared. “This is when your
integrity as a business professional is called into action. Ethical companies will charge the normal price, despite the temptation to charge
premiums.”
Wigley and his team have been working especially hard over the past several weeks to meet the need. There is always someone on call at Pit
Stop for emergencies that happen after work hours. They have not had to hire on temporary workers or refer out for additional units, but Wigley
made it clear that he has no problem doing so if the situation arises.
“Unfortunately in this economy most operators have had plenty of units available to meet the increased activity of these past several
weeks,” Wigley noted. “However, if at some point did not have enough units to meet the need or the order was far outside of our service area, we
wouldn’t hesitate to recommend a competitor for the job. That’s one of the benefits of being a part of the Metro Atlanta Work Group (now a
division of the Georgia Onsite Wastewater Association). I would recommend one of the other companies in this group in a minute if I couldn’t
meet the need.”
At the end of the day no one wants to see people suffering and natural disasters ravaging their land. While it is true that portable restroom
operators gain business from these disasters, simply earning a paycheck is often not the motivating factor that keeps these hard-working
individuals giving 100% of their effort on the job. It is much deeper and much more important than that.
“We’ve dealt with tornadoes and other disasters in the past and from an employee standpoint, there is a lot of pride that comes with
knowing you are working to make a difference in the lives of victims,” Wigley shared. “We are helping people. It may be a lot of hard work and
we are scrambling to get everything done, but we are working especially hard because we are making a difference and our service is important. The
importance of our industry really stands out in times of disasters.”
Georgians continue to survey the damage of this mighty flood. Some are looking to rebuild their homes. Others are dealing with total
devastation and loss. The local government is trying to figure out how to get the infrastructure back on track and how to do so cost-efficiently.
The good news is that they have dependable companies, like Pit Stop, to call on for the very important issue of portable restrooms.
extreme rain and destructive flooding throughout the state. Unusual amounts of rain began to fall on the 21st of September and some areas
received an unwelcome 20” or more of rainfall over the next several days. Severe flooding followed which destroyed over 2000 homes, power
lines, railroads and roads, and took the lives of at least 10 people. Douglas County was hit the hardest. President Barack Obama declared several
counties to be federal disaster areas which will bring some relief to the over $250 million of damage estimated. Vice President Biden also toured
the area by helicopter to observe the true extent of the damage and to assure Georgians that the government would help them rebuild.
This was a storm that caught everyone by surprise. Ironically the land had been plagued with drought for some time before these rains took
Georgians from one extreme to the next in only a few days. Pit Stop portable restroom company owners Jeff and Terri Wigley were as surprised
as everyone else when the calls for emergency units began coming in one after another.
“You see, this storm took everyone by surprise,” shared Jeff Wigley in an interview several weeks after the flooding. “Atlanta typically
doesn’t flood like this. Little streams on the side of the road that you would have never even noticed before were now engulfing the road! It was
literally pounding rain for several days. The first wave of calls came from emergency groups such as FEMA (Federal Emergency Management
Agency), GEMA (Georgia Emergency Management Agency), the Department of Transportation and the Fire Department.”
With thousands of people forced to abandon their homes, portable restrooms were required for the displaced victims of the flood and
emergency relief workers. Bridges and roads sustained severe damage which required bringing in workers to rebuild and sustain whatever
infrastructure remained.
“Then came the calls from individuals who sustained relatively minor damages such as flooded basements. That was the second wave,”
Wigley said. “Third were the call from the government personnel that were called in to inspect bridges, roads and railroads to determine where
reinforcements or rebuilding was needed. For example, a road may look like it is safe for vehicles at first glance but underneath the floods have
taken away the supporting soil. The fourth wave of calls came from churches and organizations holding charitable events, such as fundraisers, for
the victims of the flooding. So it goes from emergency to workers to infrastructure to charity.”
When natural disasters of this magnitude occur, government personnel will begin calling local portable restroom operators to order
immediate emergency units. Groups like GEMA will often contact the PSAI (Portable Sanitation Association International) for contact details of
local companies that might have units available. The PSAI will then provide a list of recommended PSAI members in that area.
“This is just another reason why it is beneficial to be a member of the PSAI,” Wigley advised. “In times of emergency, people are looking
for professional, high-quality companies who will provide a good service at a fair price. That is also why it is important that companies in this
industry understand the cost of doing business so that they can charge the appropriate amount for the job, especially in emergency situations.
People are calling in immediate orders for ten units that need to be serviced every day at various locations and the business owner needs to know
what he or she can and should charge. Otherwise the second disaster will be them losing their business because they’re not charging what they
should be.”
Activity in flood areas continues to be at a high level even weeks after the initial flooding took place. When the area was declared a federal
disaster, relief funds were opened up and Pit Stop began receiving more calls to supply units for the rebuilding jobs that were now given the green
light to move forward. Then there are special events being held around the state by religious organizations and others who are trying to raise
money to help the victims of the flood. The aftermath of such devastation can last for several months as bridges and railroads are repaired and
homes are rebuilt. Portable restroom companies are still busy meeting the increased demand.
“Everyone has had to put in extra hours,” Wigley stated. “We have learned to be lean and mean. This has been a terrible thing for the
people who have lost so much, but someone needs to provide them with this service. I look around at my employees and yes some have tired
looks on their faces, but there is also a sense of pride here knowing that what they are doing is really making a difference. They are providing a
service that is helping the flood victims and those trying to rebuild these counties.”
Emergency situations can bring out the best and the worst in companies and the individuals that run them. Emergency personnel have little time
to look for good prices or negotiate and are often left in a vulnerable situation having to trust portable restroom companies to give appropriate
pricing.
“In a disaster they call you and say they need ten units now and give you the address and hang up,” Wigley shared. “This is when your
integrity as a business professional is called into action. Ethical companies will charge the normal price, despite the temptation to charge
premiums.”
Wigley and his team have been working especially hard over the past several weeks to meet the need. There is always someone on call at Pit
Stop for emergencies that happen after work hours. They have not had to hire on temporary workers or refer out for additional units, but Wigley
made it clear that he has no problem doing so if the situation arises.
“Unfortunately in this economy most operators have had plenty of units available to meet the increased activity of these past several
weeks,” Wigley noted. “However, if at some point did not have enough units to meet the need or the order was far outside of our service area, we
wouldn’t hesitate to recommend a competitor for the job. That’s one of the benefits of being a part of the Metro Atlanta Work Group (now a
division of the Georgia Onsite Wastewater Association). I would recommend one of the other companies in this group in a minute if I couldn’t
meet the need.”
At the end of the day no one wants to see people suffering and natural disasters ravaging their land. While it is true that portable restroom
operators gain business from these disasters, simply earning a paycheck is often not the motivating factor that keeps these hard-working
individuals giving 100% of their effort on the job. It is much deeper and much more important than that.
“We’ve dealt with tornadoes and other disasters in the past and from an employee standpoint, there is a lot of pride that comes with
knowing you are working to make a difference in the lives of victims,” Wigley shared. “We are helping people. It may be a lot of hard work and
we are scrambling to get everything done, but we are working especially hard because we are making a difference and our service is important. The
importance of our industry really stands out in times of disasters.”
Georgians continue to survey the damage of this mighty flood. Some are looking to rebuild their homes. Others are dealing with total
devastation and loss. The local government is trying to figure out how to get the infrastructure back on track and how to do so cost-efficiently.
The good news is that they have dependable companies, like Pit Stop, to call on for the very important issue of portable restrooms.
WHEN DISASTER STRIKES: PIT STOP RESPONDS
Georgia
OCTOBER 2009
Home About Us Contact Us Media Kit Subscribe Multimedia Industry Links