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Storm and Flood Recovery Restrooms in Detroit, MI

Portable toilets placed near Detroit storm and flood damage, for recovery crews and households while the usual restrooms are out of use.

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  • Standard, ADA and flushable trailer units
  • Festival weekends, race circuits and parade routes downtown
  • Freeway crews, tower sites and inner-ring renovations

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Storm Recovery

Storm and Flood Recovery Restrooms: what it covers

Quick answer

Storm and flood recovery restrooms are portable toilets placed near damaged buildings and work sites after a storm or flood, when the usual toilets are unusable. Recovery crews and households both need them close to the work. Detroit Porta Potty Rental places units beside the damage and serves Wayne County; call (888) 351-0294 to start.

Storm and Flood Recovery Restrooms illustration for Detroit, MI

After a storm or a flood the toilets are often the first thing to fail. A basement that has taken water, a sewer that has backed up, a power cut that stops the pumps: each leaves a household or a crew with no working toilet, and the recovery work cannot start until one is set up.

The Detroit River and Lake St. Clair shorelines, the Rouge River on the west side and the Downriver communities all include low ground where a heavy storm can leave standing water. Recovery work in those areas is set around the damage, not around a normal site plan, so the unit stands where the work is.

The first step is to find out which buildings and which crews are affected, and whether the power and water are on. The answers set how many units are needed and whether they go beside a house, a yard or a work site.

Service area
Detroit & Wayne County
Availability
Phones answered 24/7, emergencies first
Warning signs

Signs you need storm and flood recovery restrooms

Do not enter standing water or a flooded basement to reach a unit, and keep children and pets away from the water. Do not run a generator inside a building or near an open door, and do not use the unit while the sewer is backed up. If a unit is damaged or the ground gives way, keep clear and call (888) 351-0294 at once.

  • A basement or lower floor with standing water and no working toilet
  • A street where the sewer has backed up after a heavy storm
  • A power cut that has stopped the pumps and the water heater
  • A recovery crew working on a house with no toilet on site
  • A flooded yard or lot where the crew cannot reach the building restroom
  • A household that has moved into a relative's house but still needs a unit for the work
  • A flooded site where the water supply has been shut off
Options

Types and options for storm and flood recovery restrooms

Unit beside a flooded house

A single unit set on the driest ground beside a house whose lower floors are being dried out. Its approach is kept clear of the debris and the wet ground.

Units for a recovery crew on a street

A few units spread along a street where several buildings are being worked on at once. Their count follows the number of crews and the damaged homes on the block.

Units for a site with no power or water

Units placed where the building and its supplies are cut off, so crews and households have a toilet while the power and water are being restored.

Skip the guesswork. Call for a straight answer.

Tell us what's happening and we'll tell you honestly whether it's a quick fix, and what storm and flood recovery restrooms should cost.

Call (888) 351-0294Get a quote

How many toilets does a flood recovery job need?

One for each household or crew that cannot use a working toilet, plus a count for the crews working on the buildings. No ratio for disaster or flood recovery was found to quote, so the number is planned from the people affected and checked with the crew leader.

A household that is living in part of its house while the rest dries out may need one unit for the family and another for the crew working on the lower floors. A recovery street with several buildings in progress needs units spread along it so no crew walks far through the mess. Count the people who will use the toilets each day, and add the outside crews who arrive for the work.

  • One unit for each household without a working toilet
  • A count for each recovery crew on the site
  • Units spread along a street with several buildings
  • Recount as the work and the households change

Where should a recovery toilet stand?

On the driest firm ground near the damage, clear of standing water, the route for heavy equipment and the soft ground around the house. The unit has to be reachable without wading through water or debris.

Standing water can make the ground soft and can hide holes, so the spot is walked first and the approach is checked for debris and sharp edges. A unit on a lawn that has been under water may sink, so a board or gravel pad is laid where the ground is soft. Keep the route to the unit clear of the equipment that is hauling debris away.

  • On the driest firm ground near the work
  • Clear of standing water and soft ground
  • Approach checked for debris and holes
  • Clear of the heavy equipment route

What happens when the sewer has backed up?

Water that came up a drain or a sewer is treated as contaminated, and the crew works in protective gear. The units are placed away from the affected drain, and the waste is pumped by a septage company rather than poured out by the household.

A sewer backup is a containment job, and the toilets used by the crew should be kept apart from the household's own toilet where possible. Do not flush the household's toilet until the sewer has been checked, because the water can rise again. The septage company pumps the unit's waste, and the household should not try to handle it.

  • Keep the unit away from the affected drain
  • Do not flush the household toilet until it is checked
  • Crew works in protective gear
  • Septage company pumps the waste

Does the city need to know about a recovery unit?

It can, when the unit stands on a public street or park or blocks an access route. Ask the city about any placement on a public right of way, and keep the access route for emergency vehicles clear at all times.

A recovery unit on a private lot usually needs only the owner's agreement. On a street, a park or a closed road, the city's agreement and the emergency access plan come first. Keep a copy of the placement with the household or the crew leader so the unit can be shown to an inspector or a responder.

  • Owner's agreement for a private lot
  • City agreement for a public street or park
  • Emergency access kept clear
  • Placement kept with the crew leader
Our process

How our storm and flood recovery restrooms visit works

  1. Find the affected buildings and crews

    Ask which buildings are affected and which crews are working on them. The number of units follows the number of people using the work area and the household.

  2. Check the power, water and access

    Find out whether the power and water are on and whether the ground is safe to drive a truck on. A unit is placed only on ground that will hold it.

  3. Place the unit beside the damage

    The unit stands on the driest firm ground near the work, clear of standing water and the route for heavy equipment, so it can be used without a long walk through the mess.

  4. Service and reassess

    Visits are set around the recovery schedule, and the placement is reviewed when the water recedes or the work moves. A fault is reported by phone at once.

  5. Collect when the work is finished

    Units are collected when the recovery work ends, and the final pumping is recorded. A septage company handles the waste under Michigan's Part 117 rules.

Wayne County

Why storm and flood recovery restrooms is different in Wayne County and Metro Detroit

The Detroit River and Lake St. Clair shorelines border the city, and the Rouge River runs through the west side and the Dearborn area. Low ground along those waterways is where standing water is most likely to collect after a heavy storm.

Ecorse, River Rouge, Wyandotte and the other Downriver cities sit on the river edge, and their ground is among the lowest in the area. Recovery units are placed on the highest firm ground near the houses that can be reached.

The Grosse Pointes and Harper Woods have many older houses with cellars, and a flood there can take the cellar and the first floor at once. The unit is placed near the front of the house, where the family can use it without going down to the cellar.

Where we work

Storm and Flood Recovery Restrooms across Wayne County

Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.

Related

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Portable Toilet Delivery and Setup

How Detroit portable toilets are delivered, levelled and placed, with the spot, the route and the access agreed before the truck leaves the yard.

FAQ

Storm and Flood Recovery Restrooms FAQs

Can a unit be placed while the water is still standing?

Only on ground that is firm and above the water, reached without wading. A unit placed in standing water can float or tip, so the spot is chosen once the water has receded from the approach.

Do households need a unit while the house is being dried?

Often yes, because the usual toilets may be out of use while the lower floors are open and the power or water is off. The number of units is set by the household and the crew working in the house.

Is the waste from a recovery unit handled differently?

It is handled by a septage company under Michigan's Part 117 rules, the same as any other unit. Where water came up a drain, the crew treats the wider site as contaminated and works in protective gear.

How long will a recovery unit stay?

For as long as the recovery work and the outage last, with service visits set around the work. The placement is reviewed when the water recedes or the work moves on.

Who should I call first after a storm?

Call (888) 351-0294, give the address, the affected floors and how many people need a toilet. The office will work out the number of units and the placement with you.

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