The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is a one of the largest sources of connection for people across the country, as its wide scope covers more than 163 million addresses and over 31,000 post offices. But the agency is not always able to reach everyone on a regular basis. Under certain circumstances, the USPS may need to adjust its operations by pausing delivery services for some addresses and closing post offices in affected areas. In fact, the Postal Service just issued another new suspension on top of existing problems. Read on to find out all the places where USPS services are suspended right now.
READ THIS NEXT: USPS Is Making Even More Changes to Your Mail, as of Sunday.
The USPS keeps consumers up-to-date on service disruptions.
iStockThe Postal Service typically delivers mail and opens post offices at least five days each week. Millions of Americans rely on regular service, so the USPS makes sure to let consumers know when things change. With that in mind, the agency created its Service Alerts tool specifically to provide online alerts about ongoing service disruptions.
"Residential customers and small businesses can find out if mail is being delivered, or if their post offices are open," the Postal Service explains on its website.
In 2013, Krista Finazzo, the current vice president of retail and delivery operations for the USPS, said that the Service Alerts website was born out of feedback from customers following service disruptions due to natural disasters like Hurricane Sandy.
"We wanted more effective communication with our customers during service interruptions," she explained. "Now, residential consumers and business mailers have an easy, online location to learn the operating status of Post Office and mail processing facilities."
And given the regular closures customers are now facing, the service is proving more essential than ever.
The agency just suspended services at a Texas post office.
iStockThe USPS made a new update to its Service Alerts tool on Jan. 19 in order to warn customers in Texas about a new disruption. According to the alert, the agency has closed its post office in Bullard, Texas. "All operations are temporarily suspended," the Postal Service said.
During this closure customers should go to the post office in Jacksonville, Texas, for all their postal needs, including P.O. Box service. The Bullard Post Office and the Jacksonville Post Office are roughly 14 miles apart.
The Texas facility was closed "in an abundance of caution."
ShutterstockIn a separate local news release issued Jan. 19, the USPS said that the Bullard Post Office suspension went into effect immediately and will remain in place until further notice. "In an abundance of caution, and to ensure the safety of both postal customers and employees, the Postal Service is temporarily suspending retail operations at the [facility]," the agency added.
The closure was prompted by an accident at the post office, according to local ABC-affiliate KLTV. The news outlet reported that Bullard police were called to the post office on Jan. 19 after a vehicle crashed into the building.
"A postal customer drove their personal vehicle into the retail lobby of the Bullard Post Office. The accident caused damage to a wall at the front of the building," the USPS said in a statement to KLTV. "No employees were injured, and the driver of the personal vehicle is being treated by the paramedics."
The agency told the news outlet that postal officials are "currently assessing the damage" caused by the accident and are working "to make the necessary repairs" to the facility. "The Postal Service will provide additional information when normal operations resume," the USPS said in its press release.
There are several other post offices that have suspended services.
ShutterstockThe Bullard Post Office might be the most recent closure from the USPS, but it it's hardly the only facility closed to the public.
On Jan. 18, the Postal Service alerted customers to the closure of more than 20 post offices throughout California and Nebraska because of severe winter storms.
And the agency also shuttered facilities in North Dakota and Alabama this month. In North Dakota, retail operations at the Stanton Post Office were suspended on Jan. 6 "due to water damage and asbestos abatement." The USPS added that there is "no current estimate on when the office will re-open."
In Alabama, the Jack Post Office was closed on Jan. 13 after it "sustained structural damage due to recent tornadic activity." According to the agency, "postal officials will provide an update to customers once a thorough assessment has been completed."
