Managing the mail system is a mightier job than most of us realize. The U.S Postal Service (USPS) is responsible for handling millions of mailpieces and packages at any given moment. But sometimes, the agency is not able to make deliveries when expected, or open post offices during normal business hours. Service suspensions can arise for a number of different reasons, which some customers in two states are now finding out. Read on to find out about the latest USPS closures.
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The USPS is suspending services in two states.
iStockWhen our mail doesn't arrive on time or our local post office is closed, we want to know why. Fortunately, the Postal Service strives not to leave its customers in the dark. The agency frequently updates its Service Alerts website to provide the latest information on any postal disruptions. Through this online tool, you can find out "whether mail is being delivered to your neighborhood or if your local Post Office is open," the USPS explains.
Currently, customers in two different states are dealing with new disruptions, according to the latest alerts. Since March 20, the USPS has closed three facilities in California. The affected post offices in this state are located in the towns of Midpines, Alpaugh, and Fish Camp.
But the Postal Service also recently announced a closure in Michigan. On March 23, the agency said that it has suspended operations in this state at a facility in Grosse Pointe.
The California post offices are battling severe weather.
ShutterstockThe three facilities in California were all shut down for the same reason, according to the USPS. The Midpines Post Office, Alpaugh Post Office, and the Fish Camp Post Office are "temporarily closed due to severe winter storms," the agency said in its alerts.
When asked for more information, a spokesperson for the USPS told Best Life that "road closures and lack of access" were contributing to the post offices being closed.
This might not come as a surprise to California residents. The USPS has been steadily closing and reopening facilities throughout the state in light of weather concerns since the end of February.
Midpines and Fish Camp are located in Mariposa County, while Alpaugh is in Tulare County. Both of these counties are facing flooding concerns right now. The National Weather Service (NWS) reported that persistent heavy rain and snowfall around the Sierra Nevada mountain range could "cause flooding or worsen ongoing flooding" in these areas.
The Michigan facility was closed over safety issues.
ShutterstockThe Postal Service did not reference weather concerns in its alert for the Michigan closure. Instead, the agency said that retail operations at the Grosse Pointe Post Office are now "temporarily closed due to safety issues."
Best Life reached out the USPS to get more information on what specific issues are at play, but has not yet heard back.
The agency noted in its update that customers who need to get mail from their P.O. Box at the Grosse Pointe facility will continue to have lobby access. For those looking for retail services, the USPS has listed four alternative locations they can visit: the Kensington Post Office, St. Clair Shores Post Office, Park Grove Post Office, and Fox Creek Post Office.
This is not the only post office the agency has recently shut down for safety.
ShutterstockSafety is a major concern for the USPS—which is why the Grosse Pointe Post Office in Michigan is not the only facility currently closed for unsafe conditions.
The agency has closed several post offices across the U.S. this month as a result of safety issues. This includes two in Louisiana—the Heflin Post Office and the Dry Prong Post Office—which are both closed to "allow for facility repairs," a Postal Service spokesperson previously told Best Life.
A post office in Gonic, New Hampshire, has also been shut down temporarily after sustaining structural damage from a vehicle collision, while a facility in Arlington, Vermont, is closed because a potential fuel leak.
USPS spokesman Stephen Doherty previously told Best Life that there is currently "no timeline" for when the Gonic Post Office will reopen. As for the Vermont post office, Doherty said, "We look forward to resuming full operations in Arlington as quickly as this issue can be resolved."
