As much as you may want to get your mail, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) isn't inclined to send its carriers out into treacherous conditions. Last fall, the Postal Service suspended deliveries and closed hundreds of post offices in several parts of the South as Hurricane Ian approached the U.S. And earlier this year, severe winter storms prompted the agency to also pause operations in several Midwestern states. Now, a new weather concern is causing disruptions once again. Read on to find out more about the latest closures.
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The USPS is closing post offices in two U.S. territories.
ShutterstockThe Postal Service informs the public whenever it has to depart from its usual operations. Customers can go to the agency's Service Alerts website, where the USPS says it posts "current, frequently-updated information" about postal disruptions. With this online tool, you can check to see "whether mail is being delivered to your neighborhood or if your local Post Office is open."
According to the most recent Service Alerts updates, there are new problems affecting postal customers in two different U.S. territories. On May 25, the USPS announced that it had suspended services at two post offices in the Northern Mariana Islands—with one closure in Saipan and the other in Rota. That same day, the agency revealed that it had also shut down six Guam facilities: the Barrigada, Tamuning, Naval Station, Mou #3 Nav Cams Wespac, Hagatna, and Andersen post offices.
The closures are due to hazardous weather.
iStockAccording to the USPS' alerts, post offices in these two U.S. territories are currently closed "due to Typhoon Mawar." As The Weather Channel explains, Typhoon Mawar is now the strongest tropical cyclone since 2021.
The powerful storm passed over Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands late on May 24, The New York Times reported. Many residents are now battling power outages, damages, and knocked-down trees as a result.
The National Weather Service (NWS) is also keeping its typhoon warnings active for Guam and Rota because of the potential that it could still get hit with tropical-force winds from the Typhoon Mawar system, according to the newspaper.
The Postal Service says one of the facilities has already reopened.
ShutterstockBased on separate local press releases, it appears that the USPS started closing post offices in Guam, Rota, and Saipan on May 22—ahead of Typhoon Mawar's expected arrival. But when Best Life reached out to the USPS about these closures on May 26, a spokesperson revealed that at least one of the closed facilities has already opened back up to the public.
"The Saipan Post Office has resumed normal operations," said Duke Gonzales, a strategic communications specialist for the Postal Service.
In a press release, the USPS said that the facility is reopening with "its usual hours of operation."
Some of the post offices could be closed for much longer.
iStockPostal customers in the Northern Mariana Islands might not be affected by the aftermath of Typhoon Mawar for too long. While the Rota Post Office is still closed, Gonzales told Best Life that the facility is expected to resume normal operations alongside the Saipan Post Office on May 30. Some in Guam may have to wait longer, however.
"All Guam postal facilities will remain closed until further notice," the USPS said in the May 25 press release. "There will be no street or PO Box mail delivery or retrieval of mail from its blue collection box or mail slots while the office is closed. The Postal Service’s decisions regarding the resumption of services will be guided by information and directives issued by local public safety officials."
According to Gonzales, the Postal Service has already resumed some of its mail delivery operations in Guam. Retail lobbies on the island, on the other hand, will only "reopen for business as soon as we can access power for those facilities," he said.
