Many of us have to take time out of our already busy schedules whenever we need to go to the post office. So imagine how frustrating it would be if when you finally find a moment in your day to drop off some mail, all the doors are locked and the lights are turned off during regular hours. But sometimes the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has no choice but to close its post offices if certain circumstances, like safety hazards or dangerous weather, arise. In fact, postal customers in two different places are experiencing this unfortunate situation right now. Read on to find out where exactly the USPS is currently suspending services.
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The USPS just suspended services at a post office in New Mexico.
ShutterstockWhen disruptions force the USPS to change its normal operations, the agency usually lets customers know through its Service Alerts website. With this online tool, you can find "current, frequently-updated information about whether mail is being delivered to your neighborhood or if your local post office is open," according to the Postal Service.
The latest update to the agency's Service Alerts website indicates that new problems are now affecting postal customers in one state: New Mexico. Starting today, the Tularosa Post Office in Tularosa, New Mexico, is "temporarily closed," the USPS announced in its new alert.
It is not clear why this facility has been closed.
ShutterstockThe Postal Service provided no information about exactly why the Tularosa Post Office has been shut down. But a post in the town's community Facebook page "Making a Difference Tularosa" may help to shed light on what has prompted it. When one person in the group asked why the facility was closed, another responded with what they knew: "From what we were told [it] was a hazardous spill," Tularosa resident Christina Maria wrote in a comment.
Best Life has reached out to the USPS to see if it will confirm the reasoning for this closure, and we will update this story with their response.
The agency did include information about what people should do for their postal needs during the Tularosa Post Office closure in its alert, however. "Customers' mail will be available and retail services offered at the Alamogordo Post Office," the USPS said. The two facilities appear to be just a little more than 13 miles apart from each other.
The agency has also shuttered another post office.
ShutterstockPostal customers in New Mexico are not the only ones dealing with new problems right now. In a June 4 press release, the USPS revealed that it would be shuttering a facility in Pikeville, Kentucky. The Pikeville Main Post Office was closed by the agency the following day on June 5—and according to the Postal Service, the facility will remain shut down to the public "until further notice."
"Customers may access all retail transactions and pick up PO Box mail at the Downtown Post Office," the USPS said. This facility is also located in the town of Pikeville, roughly five miles away from the Pikeville Main Post Office.
The Pikeville's facility is facing building problems.
iStockThe Postal Service said it was forced to shut down the Pikeville Main Post Office after officials ordered that the building it is located in be evacuated. The decision for evacuation was made "due to structural issues," the USPS added in its release.
When Best Life reached out to the agency to find out more about the specific problems affecting the building, a USPS spokesperson said they had "no additional information" to add at this time. But officials with the Pikeville Police Department have confirmed that on June 3, the roof partially collapsed at the Pikeville Commons apartment complex where the Pikeville Main Post Office is located, local CBS-affiliate WYMT reported.
According to the news outlet, the cause of the collapse is not clear but the postal facility will remain closed while repairs are being made. "We do know that there was a storm at the time earlier that may have played a factor, as far as that goes," Nicholas Flaming, the public information officer for Pikeville's Fire Department, told WYMT. "But as far as the actual collapse goes, it’s very minor as far as what we could tell. It’s just part of the roof, so I suspect repairs will be made fairly quickly."
