Baby, It's Cold Outside!

It is COLD outside; so what better to do than sit by the fireplace with a delicious cup of hot cocoa after facing the painful weather outside? 

The creamy and chocolaty drink is sure to thaw you out and is the go to drink for Santa Claus.  Many people drink hot cocoa almost every day, but do you know the history of the drink? 

So here are a few, but cool, facts about the rich hot chocolate drink.

•        First chocolate beverage was thought to be created by the Mayans 2000 years ago.
•        Hot Cocoa was an essential part of Aztec culture by 1400 A.D.
•        Until the 19^th century, hot chocolate was used medicinally to treat ailments such as stomach diseases.

Have any awesome facts to share? Leave us a comment and we will be sure to  use them!

First Day of Spring

Which means winter was officially over yesterday!  Who else is excited for beautiful warm weather?

I would tell you to put away the winter coats and snow blowers but that means we will get 20 inches tomorrow.

So I will just think warm thoughts for all of us!

Storm of the "Century"

According to the news, the "storm of the century" is going to hit the Northeast today.  Nemo is going to "devestate" the northeast... supposedly!

So we are asking the most important question.....

What did you buy to prepare for the storm?

1. Salt, Shovel, Etc
2. Bread and Milk
3. Wine, Beer or Liquor
4. Donuts
5. All of the above

What is your most important "survival" item when a storm is coming?

Hurricane Sandy Donations

With so much of our area destroyed by Hurricane Sandy, this is a great time to give back.  Many are in need right now and there are literally thousands of places to donate. 

This is just a small list so please feel free to send more suggestions our way:

GENERAL

• Feeding America accepting donations to purchase food, water and other supplies for storm victims.
• AmeriCares accepting donations.
• Personal hygiene items are being provided by World Vision. To donate, click here.

For local Red Cross chapters:

New York

• American Red Cross of Greater New York
• American Red Cross on Long Island

New Jersey

• American Red Cross of Camden and Burlington Counties
• American Red Cross of Central New Jersey
• American Red Cross of Northern New Jersey
• Jersey Coast Chapter
• New Jersey Crossroads
• Southern Shore Chapter
• South Jersey Chapter

Connecticut

• Connecticut Chapter
• Metro New York North Chapter

Pennsylvania

• Southeastern Pennsylvania

Delaware

• Delmarva Region

For more from the Salvation Army or to donate, visit  https://donate.salvationarmyusa.org/disaster

NEW YORK CITY

• Notify NYC accepting money, goods, services and volunteers.
• Food Bank For New York City accepting donations and volunteers
• Check Service NYC’s Facebook page for other volunteer opportunities.
• JCC in Manhattan collecting items for those in shelters, offering volunteer opportunities.
• Citymeals-on-wheels is looking for people to help deliver food to the many seniors in need around the five boroughs.
• Hudson River Park is looking for volunteers to help with cleanup and repairs.
• Food Not Bombs‘ Manhattan office was flooded, and needs volunteers to help coordinate outreach.
• Red Hook NYC Recovers lists sites around Red Hook Brooklyn that need food, volunteers or other support. They update their list on a regular basis.
• Astoria Recovers, a recovery blog, has a list of local sites in need of assistance.
• Staten Island Recovers is another community recovery site with a list of places to help out.
• Lower East Side Recovers is also connecting volunteers with those in need.
• The United Jewish Federation of New York has an extensive list of volunteer opportunities in Westchester, Long Island, Staten Island, Brooklyn and more.
• The Jewish Association Serving the Aging (JASA) has a variety of ways to volunteer and help.

NEW JERSEY

• The Community Food Bank of New Jersey is accepting donations. You can log on to donate, or call (908) 355-3663 ext. 203, or donate $10 by texting FEEDNJ to 80888. The food bank is also soliciting food donations of canned foods, shelf-stable milk, cereal, baby food (note: no glass jars, please) and diapers. For a list of locations, click here.
• JerseyCares has a wide variety of disaster relief volunteer opportunities in Hoboken, Atlantic City, Belmar and more. Click here to see the list.
• The United Way has numerous volunteering opportunities across New Jersey. A simple way of looking for opportunities near you is to click here and search for the United Way nearest to you.

PETS

If you’re interested in helping animals find safe haven and good care after the hurricane, the Humane Society of the United States and the American Humane Association have teams working on the problem and they need your help. Donations are especially needed to help rescue stranded pets and aid animals currently in shelters.

Hurricane Sandy!

Due to Hurricane Sandy, all of our trucks will remain in our yards today, which means no service.  This includes our Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York and Pennsylvania yards. 

If you need emergency service, you can reach Debbie at 203-509-8227 or Alex at 203-395-1355.  Otherwise, we hope to be back tomorrow.

Stay Safe and Stay Dry!

Cancellation Policy

It seems like every single time I look at the forecast, all I see is rain!  Per the Weather Channel, “Rain -- it's a four letter word that the Northeast is sick of hearing at this point. The region has been extremely saturated since August. Some cities, including Binghamton, N.Y. and Harrisburg, Pa., had their wettest September on record.”

The worst part about rain is that it cancels or postpones all the great outdoor activities planned each weekend.  Since we are looking into another wet and soggy weekend, I thought I would go over our cancellation policy with all of you.

At A Royal Flush, we strongly believe that if a toilet and truck hasn’t left our yard, then you shouldn’t have to pay.  With that said, you generally need to call a couple of hours before your delivery to cancel and not be charged.  Especially if you are near the edges of our delivery areas!

For example, if you have a Saturday event and the toilets are being delivered on Saturday morning, you will need to cancel by Friday night. If you have a Sunday event and we are delivering that morning, you can call our office on Saturday at 877-234-6545, get the weekend contact number and then call to cancel your delivery.  We generally work 7 days a week and we are always available to take your phone call. 

If you have caught us in time, we are more than happy to refund your money!

Unfortunately, if the driver is sitting in your driveway, ready to take the toilet off the truck, you are too late.  The same goes for a driver out on the road, on their way to your location.  Keep that in mind when deciding whether or not to cancel your event.

We hope you understand our policy and we sincerely hope you know we will do our best to work with you.  We understand that the weather is unpredictable and you can’t control it. 

Thanks again for being loyal A Royal Flush customers!  We hope you stay dry this weekend!

Hurricane Irene

She came, she ripped out power and now she is gone!

Hopefully, everyone is ok and hopefully (hint hint) we will all have power back at our homes soon. 

This is one of my favorite picture of the storm.  Isn’t it crazy? 

Down at the shore, they don’t like Irene so much?

But this one is the best!  This is one of about 100 of our toilets that got “relocated” during the storm!

Have a good storm picture?  Be sure to send it to us at sales@aroyalflush.com!

Plan For Irene…

I found this online and thought I would share it with all of you. I know next to nothing about weather, but all the news websites are saying the East Coast will be hit hard this weekend!  So we should prepare for it!

The storm as of Thursday morning

From the EDIS Company blog:

“Since I am an amateur weather junkie, the unfolding story on Hurricane Irene is almost captivating. But it is a serious threat to our buildings and our homes and not to be taken lightly. So what can we do today and tomorrow to prepare our buildings for this approaching storm?

1. A roof inspection is a must. Bring a large plastic bag and inspect all your roof drains and remove any loose debris. 8 inches of continual rainfall will strain even a clear and unobstructed roof drain. If there is any unsecured equipment on the roof like a ladder, window washing tools or even a lounge chair (don’t laugh) bring them inside or tie securely with a rope.
2. Walk around the perimeter of your building/home and note any loose trash cans, loose benches or chairs, cigarette disposal units, portable planters, flags on flag poles, safety cones, temporary signs…get the message? Get them inside or secured.
3. Inspect your storm water catch basins and remove any debris so those basins are free flowing.

For the best hurricane track I could find to keep you up to date and informed try http://www.hurricanetrack.com/

For the home front FEMA has done a good job with storm guidelines.  To read more go to http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/As-Irene-looms-some-hurricane-preparation-tips-2140413.php#ixzz1W2vG2GLq”

It seems that the best plan is to stay informed.  Both of the sites listed above will have up to the minute information on the storm’s path.  I don’t think you need to move into your basement with canned food, but bringing in your patio furniture seems like a no brainer!

How are you preparing?

What Amazing Weather!

We are currently in the middle of an unseasonably warm couple of days.  Be sure to get outside and enjoy it!!

Open Today

This is the theme song for today’s weather.  It is truly disgusting out but we are open and ready to work! 

Take you time and be careful when traveling today!!

Worried About Earl????

Afraid to make plans for this weekend because Earl is screaming his way up the coast.  Stay on top of his path with help from the Weather Channel.

They have a whole page on their site devoted to him.  Click here to see it!

As this is one of the last weekend’s for some prime beach time, I am crossing my fingers that he just goes away.  Like poof!!!

Hopefully we will all be able to enjoy some fun, in the sun.  If the weather stays sunny and beautiful, be sure to call us for portable restrooms for your event.

877-234-6545

Recent Iowa Flooding Videos

Here are two videos of the recent flooding in Ames, Iowa.

Around the 1:58 mark, of this local news coverage, you can see a parking lot filled with floating portable toilets.

This video, from the Iowa State University engineering department, also shows the floating toilets.

Great Weather

The weather that we are having this week is just amazing!  To have 70 and 80 degree days in April is such a treat. 

So it is way to nice to be reading this blog.  Put the computer down and go outside!!! 

Be sure to check back on Wednesday for more news!!

Snow Day

Philadelphia is having a snow day. We received about 6 inches last night and the snow is starting to come down again. For the Mid Atlantic area, they are expecting 12-20 inches. I hear the storm is moving north, so we will see how much New York and Connecticut get. If you can, stay inside today!

Reminder

I know I mentioned this before but Winterization is important enough to mention it again!

It is hard to believe but the holidays are right around the corner. And with the holiday season comes colder weather and even.....SNOW!!!!

Cold weather and freezing temperatures can be a challenge when it comes to temporary and outdoor restroom facilities. Winterizing is important if you want to keep your job site running during the winter months.

So, as the weather outside gets frightful, expect to hear from your A Royal Flush customer service representative about winterizing your site's equipment.

Feel free to contact us at (877) 234-6545 with any questions you may have.

Snow Day

Be sure to enjoy this snow day. I am really hoping that Spring will be here soon!!!