Hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November, and a portable toilet on a Jacksonville site is exposed for all of it. Irma flooded downtown, San Marco and Riverside in 2017, and Matthew carried away part of the Jacksonville Beach Pier in 2016. Units are secured or pulled before a storm and go back into service only after cleanup.
Key takeaways
- The Atlantic hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November, and storm planning for a rental should cover that whole stretch.
- Hurricane Irma in September 2017 pushed river water into downtown, San Marco and Riverside before dawn.
- Hurricane Matthew in October 2016 took about 350 feet of the Jacksonville Beach Pier, and its surge reached inland as far as 3rd Street.
- Units are secured or pulled before a storm and go back out only after the site has been cleaned up.
- A unit that has stood in floodwater has to be assessed before anyone uses it again.
- Low ground, tidal edges and beach sites need a different plan from a dry inland lot.
When does hurricane season matter for a Jacksonville job?
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November. For a rental, that means the whole of the summer and autumn work calendar is exposed, not just the few weeks around the peak.
A portable toilet sits outdoors for the length of its rental, so a storm can arrive in any week of a June to November contract. A short job in early June can finish before the first storm, and a long build-out that runs through October will not. The planning question is simple: how long is the unit on site, and what happens to it when the wind comes up?
Event organizers face the same calendar. A festival or race set in the autumn falls inside the season, and a storm forecast in the days before an event changes what can safely happen on the ground. The sensible step is to agree on a storm plan with the servicing company before the first unit is delivered, rather than when a warning is already in the news.
What did Hurricane Irma do to the river side of the city?
Irma's flooding put water through downtown, San Marco and Riverside in September 2017. Accounts describe the surge flooding as record or near-record, and reports put the surge at up to five feet.
Irma's water came up the river rather than in from the open ocean. Northeasterly winds pushed water into the St. Johns River before the storm arrived, and the water backed up where the river narrows at its turn. Flooding reached downtown, San Marco and Riverside before dawn on 12 September, and a hospital in Riverside had to evacuate patients.
For a portable toilet, river flooding means a unit on low ground can be partly or wholly under water, and the moving water can carry it off its pad. The riverfront and the streets that flooded in 2017 are the ground most worth checking before a storm. A unit in the path of river water should be moved to higher ground or pulled before the water arrives.
What did Hurricane Matthew do at the beaches?
Matthew's surge and waves in October 2016 washed away about 350 feet of the Jacksonville Beach Pier and reached inland as far as 3rd Street, according to a local news report.
Beach sites face a different threat from river flooding. Surge and waves can reach well inland on a low beach, and a unit set on sand or near a pier is exposed both to water and to the loss of firm ground beneath it. Matthew showed that the damage is not confined to the water's edge.
Irma damaged the same pier again in 2017, and Hurricane Ian in 2022 brought major beach erosion. Nicole, also in 2022, washed away a section of the rebuilt pier. Each storm moves the sand a unit might have been set on, so a placement that was firm in June may not be firm after a storm. A planner should check the ground again after every named storm rather than assume it is unchanged.
Why are units secured or pulled before a storm?
Units are secured or pulled before a storm because a loose unit can become debris, and a unit in the path of water can be carried off its pad.
Securing a unit means anchoring it or blocking it and making sure nothing else on the site can strike it. Pulling a unit means the servicing company collects it and takes it to a yard. The right choice depends on the storm, the site's exposure and how much time the company has to act. A unit left in place on a dry site is a different decision from one on low ground beside a river.
The decision belongs in the storm plan agreed before the season starts. Ask the servicing company what it does when a storm is forecast, who makes the call and how the site is told. A plan that exists only on paper written during a warning is harder to carry out, especially when crews are busy elsewhere.
What happens to a unit after a flood?
A unit that has stood in floodwater should be assessed before anyone uses it again. The servicing company can clean, repair or replace it, and the site should not return a unit to use until it is in a sanitary condition.
Floodwater carries the contents of drains, soil and whatever else is in the street. A unit that stood in it may have lost its door, its vent or its pad, and its interior may be contaminated in ways a quick look will not show. The first step is to take it out of use, mark it and call the company. A unit that looks dry is not necessarily clean.
On a construction site, OSHA's interpretation letters say a toilet in an unsanitary condition does not count toward the minimum number of facilities. A flooded unit is therefore a compliance problem as well as a comfort one. A unit that fails inspection after a storm should be replaced rather than counted, and the site should record the replacement date with its paperwork.
Why do beach and river sites need different planning?
A beach site faces surge, waves and sand loss. A riverside or low-lying site faces water that rises up the river and can stay for days. The planning steps differ, so one storm checklist does not serve the whole city.
Jacksonville covers both. The beaches face the ocean, while downtown and the riverfront sit along the St. Johns. A unit set near the water at the beaches needs firm footing and a clear route, while a unit on a riverfront lot needs a plan for how it leaves before water arrives. Each plan should name the ground the unit will sit on, not only the address.
Tidal sites add another factor. Ground at Mayport, where the water moves with the tide, can be soft even when it looks firm, and a unit set there needs a solid base and a route the truck can use at the state of the tide that day. The servicing company should walk the site at the same tide the work is planned for, not only at the one that suits the crew.
How should a storm plan be written for a rental?
A storm plan should name the trigger, the person who decides, the steps for securing or pulling each unit and the check after the storm. Writing it before the first unit is delivered is far easier than writing it during a warning.
Start with the trigger, meaning the point at which the plan takes effect. The trigger for a given site should be agreed with the servicing company rather than guessed at on the day. Next name who decides and who carries out the work, and state what happens to each unit at each stage of the storm.
Finish with recovery. After a storm, a site manager should walk every unit, check its door, vent and pad, note any unit that is missing or damaged and tell the servicing company in writing. Keep that record with the rental paperwork. A plan that ends at the storm leaves the weeks after it uncovered, and those are often when a site is most short of working facilities. The summer guide covers the heat that follows many storms.
What should a site do in the days after a storm passes?
Start with safety and access, then check every unit, then restore service in order of need. A site that goes back into use before its units are checked risks serving guests or crews from a unit that has not been assessed.
First, make sure the route to the units is safe to walk and that no unit is leaning, cracked or sitting in water. Debris, downed lines and standing water come first, because they stop the crew reaching the units at all. Only then is it sensible to count what is still usable.
Second, check each unit. Look at the door, the vent, the pad and the interior, and note anything missing. Units that pass go back into service. Units that fail are best replaced rather than repaired on site, so the servicing company should bring spares or a plan for a swap. Record the state of every unit with the date, so the next storm plan starts from an accurate list.
Frequently asked questions
Does a storm change how often a unit is serviced?
It can. A flooded or damaged unit needs a visit before it is used again, and a site near the water may need units moved or pulled before a storm. Ask the servicing company how it handles storm-related visits and whether they are scheduled differently. Put the answer in the storm plan before the season starts.
Who decides whether a unit is pulled before a storm?
The decision is best agreed between the site's owner or organizer and the servicing company, using the storm plan made in advance. The site should not wait for a forecast to become urgent before raising it. Name the person who makes the call, so the decision does not stall when the warning arrives.
Is hurricane season only a concern for beach events?
No. Irma flooded downtown, San Marco and Riverside in 2017, all of them inland from the beaches. A riverside job or a downtown event is exposed to storm surge and to water backing up from the St. Johns. Plan the river sites as seriously as the beach sites.
Should an autumn event plan for a storm?
Yes, because an event in September or October falls inside a season that runs to 30 November. Agree a plan for securing or pulling units, and for the check after a storm, before the event date. The plan should also cover what happens if the date itself has to move.
Can a unit that was in floodwater be used again?
Not until it has been assessed and is in a sanitary condition. Floodwater carries contamination, and a unit that has lost its door, vent or pad may not be safe to use. On a construction site, a toilet in an unsanitary condition does not count toward the required minimum, so it should be replaced.
What should I ask a servicing company about storm plans?
Ask how it handles a forecast storm, who decides on securing or pulling units and how it returns to a site after a storm. Ask what the post-storm check includes and how damaged units are replaced. Call (888) 351-0294 to start that conversation, and ask for the answers in writing.
Sources
This guide is general information for Duval County homeowners, not a substitute for an on-site inspection. Prices are estimates. See our disclaimer.