When unsafe conditions or unexpected circumstances arise, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) will often adjust its operations accordingly. While it can be frustrating to not get your regular mail delivery, or to find your local post office suddenly closed during normal hours, these changes are done to keep customers and postal workers safe. Now, residents in a few different states are coming face-to-face with service suspensions, thanks to a number of postal problems across the U.S. Read on to find out more about the latest post office closures.
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The USPS is continuing to close California post offices.
iStockCalifornia has been dealing with some unusual weather recently. Since late February, the Postal Service has been closing post offices throughout the state because of back-to-back winter storms. And the agency has been keeping California customers updated on which facilities are currently closed and which ones have been reopened on its Service Alerts website.
Two post offices in the state are still dealing with ongoing weather concerns, according to the latest alert. In a March 30 update, the USPS said that both the Fish Camp Post Office and the Lakeshore Post Office are "closed due to storms." A spokesperson for the USPS told Best Life that there is "no power [and] no road access" for these two facilities.
"When conditions improve, we will reopen," they said.
Fish Camp is located near Yosemite National Park in Mariposa County. This area has been subjected to road closures recently due to snow, flooding, and rockslides from storms, Sierra News Online reported.
Lakeshore is in Fresno County, but this region is also dealing with flooding concerns as crews continue to prepare for more storms bringing rain and snow, local news outlet ABC30 reported.
More Mississippi facilities are also being shut down.
iStockPostal customers in Mississippi have been dealing with a different weather concern. The USPS previously shut down a post office in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, after a tornado damaged the facility. But now the same problem has prompted another closure in the state.
In a March 30 alert, the Postal Service announced that it is temporarily suspending operations at a post office in Silver City "due to building damage."
A spokesperson for the USPS told Best Life that the Silver City Post Office was also "impacted by a tornado," but could not specify what the facility's damage entails. "There is no timeline for reopening," the spokesperson added.
In a separate local press release from March 30, the USPS said Silver City customers can conduct retail transactions and pick up P.O. Box mail at the Belzoni Post Office during this closure.
"The U.S. Postal Service apologizes for any inconvenience and appreciates our customers’ patience as we work to restore operations as quickly as possible," the agency said. "Mail delivery will continue in Silver City where it is safe to do so."
The Postal Service has suspended operations in Minnesota, too.
iStockAnother March 30 alert from the USPS confirmed a post office closure in Minnesota. According to the update, operations are "temporarily suspended" at the Raymond Post Office.
The Postal Service gave further insight into the suspension in a local press release posted March 30, informing customers that both delivery and retail operations have been halted due to a nearby train derailment.
"No mail has been damaged," the USPS said in its press release. "Delivery and regular hours of retail services will resume when local authorities have cleared a return to the area."
When Best Life reached out for additional information on this closure, a spokesperson for the USPS declined to elaborate and directed us back to the original alert. During this closure, the Postal Service said that Raymond customers can conduct retail transactions at the Willmar Post Office.
There is another new closure in Texas.
iStockOne day prior to announcing suspensions in California, Mississippi, and Minnesota, the USPS issued an alert for a different state. In a March 29 update, the agency announced that it has closed a post office in Lolita, Texas.
At this facility, "operations are temporarily suspended due to safety concerns," according to the agency. Best Life reached out to the USPS to get more insight on what exactly those concerns are, but has not yet heard back.
In a separate local press release issued March 30, the Postal Service said that all operations at the Lolita Post Office have been moved to the Vanderbilt Post Office. This induces retail and P.O. Box service.
"We apologize for any inconvenience that may be caused by this temporary suspension," the agency said. "The Postal Service will provide additional information when regular operations resume."
