Just two days ago, people across the U.S. were unable to go to their local post office or get their mail delivered—but thankfully, they had plenty of warning. The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) suspends operations every year for federal holidays, including the Fourth of July. Some closures, however, have nothing to do with the calendar, and residents in a few different states may have their deliveries halted or post office closed this month. Read on to learn where the agency is suspending services in July.
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The USPS suspended services in several states last month.
iStockThere are many different circumstances that can prompt the Postal Service to adjust operations, and customers in several different places found that out last month.
At the beginning of June, the USPS temporarily closed a post office in Tularosa, New Mexico, and another one in Pikeville, Kentucky. It's not clear why the Tularosa Post Office was shut down, but the agency revealed that the Pikeville Post Office had to be evacuated "due to structural issues."
Following those closures, two facilities in South Carolina and North Carolina were shuttered as well. The Clearwater Post Office in South Carolina was closed after a fire, while the Mount Holly Post Office in North Carolina is not servicing retail customers right now due to maintenance work.
Another facility in Kinston, North Carolina, was also shut down in June because of "safety concerns," alongside post offices in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Ohio.
All of these facilities appear to still be closed—and now, they're not the only ones.
The agency just closed a post office in Washington.
ShutterstockIt's the start of a new month, and the USPS has already started adding new service suspensions to the list.
In a local press release posted on July 3, the agency announced that it had temporary closed its post office in Underwood, Washington. According to the release, the facility's closure was caused by "the Tunnel Five fire in southeast Skamania County."
This wildfire broke out on July 2 and has already burned through more than 500 acres of land in southwestern Washington, CNN reported. According to the news outlet, at least 10 structures have already been destroyed by the Tunnel Five fire.
When Best Life reached out to the USPS to find out if the Underwood Post Office had been one of the buildings damaged by the wildfire, a spokesperson for the region declined to provide any further information.
But the agency is already directing customers from the Underwood Post Office to other facilities for postal services.
"PO Box customers can pick up their mail at the nearby Bingen Post Office, located at 302 W Steuben St., and is less than five miles away," the USPS said in its release. "All other mail is being held at the White Salmon Post Office, located at 185 NE Snohomish Ave., also less than five miles away. Retail services, such as temporary mail forwarding or stamps, can be found at both the Bingen and White Salmon locations."
Deliveries have also been suspended in Rhode Island.
ShutterstockPostal disruptions are also affecting customers in Rhode Island right now. In a July 5 update to its Service Alerts website, the USPS revealed that it has temporarily suspended mail operations at its Processing and Distribution Center (PD&C) in Providence, Rhode Island. This suspension is the result of a "power outage due to local flooding," according to the agency.
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a flash flood warning for the Providence county on July 4 after heavy rainfall suddenly started flooding the area, local CBS-affiliate WPRI reported. More than 5,500 residents in Rhode Island and around 1,700 people in Massachusetts also lost power as a result of the severe weather, according to the news outlet.
"Mail delivery to customers with ZIP Codes starting with the first three-digits 025, 026, 027, 028, and 029 will be impacted until power is restored," the Postal Service said in its alert. "Package delivery is unaffected."
The Postal Service is also closing another facility in July.
ShutterstockWhile these are the only two confirmed facility closures so far this month, the USPS is set to shutter another post office soon. In a June 29 local press release, the agency warned customers in Ohio that it had a closure scheduled later this month.
According to the release, the Dillonvale Post Office in Dillonvale, Ohio, "will temporarily close" on July 16 "for building renovations."
Best Life reached out to the USPS to get more information about the renovations taking place, and we will update this story with their response.
"The opening date has not been determined," the Postal Service added in its release. "In the interim, P.O. Box customers can pick up their mail at the Mount Pleasant Post Office, 243 Union Street, Mount Pleasant, Ohio."
