Depending on what and when you celebrate the holidays, your gift shopping is probably in full swing—and if you live a bit far from loved ones, gift-giving also means a trip to the post office to mail your packages. But the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) just announced some post office closures, so you'll want to double-check that your local spot will be open when you get there. Read on to find out where USPS is temporarily suspending services.
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Last week, Alaska shuttered a post office following "facility damage."
iStockA post office in Alaska closed last week, according to the USPS Service Alerts page. The Little Diomede Post Office, located at 12 Stepping Stone Way, was closed "due to facility damage" on Nov. 29, the alert reads.
Customers are instructed to get their mail and access retail services at the Tribal Clinic, 100 Bering Sea View in Little Diomede.
Best Life reached out to USPS for comment on this closure and will update the story with its response.
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Storm damage led to a closure in Oregon.
iStockA post office in Oregon also temporarily closed as of Dec. 6, according to the Service Alerts page. The Wheeler Post Office, located at 500 Nehalem Blvd., closed due to "storm damage from recent heavy rainfall and flooding," Kim Frum, USPS strategic communications specialist, told Best Life.
During the closure, customers can pick up their mail at the nearby Nehalem Post Office, at 12810 H St. in Nehalem, Frum said. According to a Dec. 7 local press release, the Nehalem Post Office is open Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is also located just five minutes from the Wheeler location.
"We apologize for this inconvenience to our customers and plan to resume operations at the Wheeler Post Office as soon as it is safe to do so," the press release reads.
Inclement weather also temporarily shut down a post office in Washington.
ShutterstockAnother post office was closed yesterday, this time in Washington, per the Service Alerts.
The Hamilton Post Office, at 520B Maple Street in Hamilton, Washington, was closed "due to heavy rains and storm damage," the alert reads.
Frum confirmed that flooded roads prevented the post office from opening on Dec. 6, but it has reopened as of today, Dec. 7.
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Other post offices shuttered recently, too.
iStockA handful of post offices were also temporarily closed ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, Best Life previously reported.
On Nov. 24, the Pittsfield Post Office in Pittsfield, Pennsylvania, was "temporarily closed due to structural damage," according to the Service Alerts. In a separate local press release, USPS confirmed that the damage was caused by a vehicle that drove into the building on Nov. 23. No one was in the building at the time of the accident.
A post office in West Farmington, Ohio, also closed temporarily on Nov. 28 "due to safety concerns." In a local press release, USPS clarified that the concerns were tied to a gas leak.
