Postal operations can change for a variety of reasons. In the past year, we've seen the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) pause delivery services in certain areas after carrier attacks, as well as shut down post offices amid dangerous weather conditions. Now, new service suspensions are hitting more than one state, and the USPS is letting customers know with its most recent alerts. Read on to find out about the latest postal suspensions and closures.
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The USPS just suspended services in two states.
ShutterstockWhile the USPS can't always foresee circumstances that may lead to service disruptions, the agency does work to keep us updated when they do arise. Through its Service Alerts website, the Postal Service says customers "can find out if mail is being delivered, or if their Post Offices are open."
According to the most recent alerts, the USPS has just suspended services in two different states: New Hampshire and California.
On March 15, the agency revealed that four post offices in California were closed, and in a more recent March 17 update, the Postal Service announced a single closures in New Hampshire.
One post office is now closed in New Hampshire.
ShutterstockThe USPS has shuttered a facility in Gonic, New Hampshire, according to the newest update to its Service Alerts tool. The Gonic Post Office is "closed due to safety concerns," the Postal Service said in its alert.
"During this closure, customer mail will be available and retail services offered at the Rochester Post Office," the agency added.
When asked about the closure, USPS spokesman Stephen Doherty told Best Life that it was done in response to a vehicle collision. As the Fosters Daily Democrat reported, a car crashed into the Gonic Post Office on Feb. 24. This left "some structural damage to the ceiling" of the building, according to Doherty.
"The landlord is working to quickly make the necessary repairs but we do not have a timeline [for a reopening] at this time," he said.
The agency also said four facilities were closed in California.
iStockCustomers in New Hampshire are not the only ones facing postal problems right now. The USPS announced in a March 15 alert that facilities are currently closed in four California towns: Kernville, Wofford Heights, Posey, and El Portal. These post offices are all "closed due to winter storms," according to the Postal Service's update.
All of the affected towns are located in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Kernville and Wofford Heights are in Kern County, while Posey is in Tulare County—both of which are near Bakersfield in the southern part of the range. El Portal, on the other hand, is in Mariposa County, which is located in the western part of the mountains just north of Fresno.
Best Life reached out to the USPS for comment on the California closures, but has not yet heard back.
But other California post offices may still be closed as well.
ShutterstockKernville, Wofford Heights, Posey, and El Portal are dealing with major flooding risks as a result of record high rainfall and snow hitting the Sierra Nevada mountains in California. Bob Oravec, a forecaster with the Weather Prediction Center, told The New York Times that melting snow falling from the range into rivers is a major problem for potential floods.
"Besides the heavy rain that falls and runs off, there’s going to be a lot of snowmelt," Oravec said. "Flooding is definitely a concern as we go forward."
The USPS has been closing post offices in California because of winter storms since February. While the agency has made updates about the reopening of many of these facilities over the past several weeks, it appears that post offices in Olema and Bolinas are still closed for the same reason as the newly shuttered facilities.
"This temporary measure was made necessary out of an abundance of caution and to protect the safety of our customers and employees on weather impacts from local flood waters," the USPS said in a local press release about the closure of the Olema and Bolinas post offices.
